Clean Water In the News

Editorial - Jan. 14, 2009

No, state Rep. Spencer Black (D-Madison) and state Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) do not want to make your lawn less green. What they do want to do is to make Wisconsin rivers and lakes healthier. And in pursuit of that, they introduced legislation this week restricting the use of lawn fertilizers that contain phosphorus.

It's a good bill that deserves approval by the Legislature. Given that phosphorus runoff contributes to the growth of algae, and that algae can choke waterways, restricting the use of such fertilizers across the state makes sense.

According to a press release issued by the two legislators, the bill has bipartisan support from 14 Senate sponsors and 30 Assembly sponsors. They recognize, as state Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) noted, that restricting phosphorus is a good way to improve water quality and help control polluted runoff.

Phosphorus is a plant nutrient that, like nitrogen in fertilizers, serves to stimulate plant growth. But soil in the Midwest already contains naturally adequate levels of phosphorus. And while manicured green lawns are a stereotype of subdivisions and golf courses, those lawns don't require phosphorus to be green and healthy.

As Wisconsin Environment noted in a press release, "A growing body of research indicates that restricting the use of phosphorous in lawn fertilizers can be an effective way to reduce the amount of phosphorous that is washed into our lakes from residential areas."

In fact, responding to the concern over phosphorus, some lawn care companies have changed to phosphorus-free fertilizers. Dane County and 31 villages and towns, including a dozen in southeastern Wisconsin, already restrict the use of phosphorus-based fertilizers by property owners.

There would be exceptions: Farm use would be unaffected; phosphorus-based fertilizer could be used on new lawns and grass where soil is deficient; and the Milorganite brand fertilizer made by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, would also be exempted.

Black, Miller and their co-sponsors have introduced a common sense bill that could go a long way toward making Wisconsin's waterways healthier. It deserves to become law.