Monrovia, Ind.-Tiny Monrovia, with a population of 628 in the 2000 Census, has a phosphate problem and not a lot of money to fix it. Levels are running too high in the drinking water, according to the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management (IDEM), and the town council has had to tap the general fund for $12,000 to get a treatment system up and running. And that doesn’t include the chemicals, which are even more expensive. IDEM is advising Monrovia that at least part of the solution is for residents to cut back on using phosphate, particularly starting this spring, by applying low or no-phosphate fertilizer on their lawns. “Residential fertilizer is IDEM’s main focus while working to reduce phosphate levels in Indiana streams,” spokeswoman Amber Kent Finkelstein said. “Indiana soil is already naturally high in phosphate. So for residential use, additional phosphorous is usually not necessary. In fact, IDEM encourages all Hooziers to apply zero or low phosphate fertilizer, which as far as I know is available throughout the state.” Monrovia’s town leaders are also encouraging residents to use phosphate-free cleaning products in the home. Actually, phosphate in laundry detergent has been banned in Indiana since 1973, and the state legislature voted to remove it from dishwasher detergent last year. “The 1973 law went into effect prior to the creation of IDEM, and specifically concentrated on removing phosphate from detergent used in homes,” Finkelstein reported. “Due to the temperatures reached in the process, detergents used in commercial applications were exempt.” She said the 2008 law also focuses on removing phosphate from home applications of dish detergent. “From what I understand, commercial applications are overwhelmingly exempt due to the heat involved in the dishwashing process. Manufacturers are concerned that there is not currently a substitute that will work under the conditions required in a commercial setting.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain