2 suburbs cut off sale of harmful fertilizer nutrient

come on!!!!!

Come on, Get real!!!!

I think this is a good move. The only way change is going to occur is by forcing it.

ron - I think they are getting real. the sad state of our waters is real. Trying to live in harmony with our ecosystem is the next evolutionary step to a healthy coexistence with the earth we live on.

isn't it lovely that we have to fight to keep poisons out of everything. it should be banned worldwide!!

"Perfect" lawns are a stupid waste of time and money. Plant ground cover and leae it alone.

"Monkey see, monkey do!"

Well, if they are so concerned, are they also banning fertilizers with nitrogen and phosphorus at golf courses, park district facilities, and other public areas ?

Those would seem to be the real culprits (..."The ban does not apply to land lacking in phosphorus or farming and agricultural businesses, which make up the majority of phosphorus use."...)

Are they so concerned they will vow to not water any municipal parks, ball fields, or golf courses ? Those increase the runoff too (and waste water).

What's good for the goose is good for gander. If they are so convinced this is necessary, better to lead by example than by legislation.

Who enforces the ban ? What is the penalty for violating it; groundwater remediation ?

now we have the fertilizer police, go hug a tree you liberals.

Good start.
Have you ever walked by a 'perfect' lawn? They smell of weed killer and fertilizer. Eventually this stuff will go down to the water table.

As for the dandelions, pick 'em. They look good on the table for a day and then they can go down the garbage disposal or in the garbage. As for the leaves, cook them with a bit of vinegar and some oil and serve it up as a hot salad.

Reality wrote:

"Perfect" lawns are a stupid waste of time and money. Plant ground cover and leae it alone.

Yeah. Personally, I like ajuga (bugle weed).

The Great Lakes were choking on algae in the early 60's. Lake Erie was basically dead. Chicago Park District picked up truck loads of the slimy green algae from the beaches with bulldozers. Communities that drained into the lakes banned phosphates. Go take a look at the water today. I know there are other factors in the Great Lakes today such as zebra mussels and salmon, but reducing this fertilizer from detergent made all the difference. Liberals aren't the only environmentalists. There are a few educated conservatives also. Intelligence isn't so bad, Mark. You might want to try it some time.

Since it doesn't affect commerical agricultural uses, it's just petty, useless, meddling by municipalities that have nothing better to do - than to create more layers of regulatory nonsense impacting homeowners.

Every boat owner should avoid using fertilizer. If you have to use it then use only a minimum amount.

The presence of excessive growth is a good indication the water is clean.

I use a hand sprayer to kill weeds.

Greenies that have grass lawns are hypocrites. Grass is a major source of noise, chemical and exhaust pollution ??

Good grief!

If anyone has taken a fertilzer course in college, then one would realize that phosphorus is an essential nutirient and that it doesn't move or leach from the soil.

Ignorance is bliss today!

Good start, but an even bigger problem is nitrogen/ammonia .
Communities need to upgrade their waste water plants which are major producers of these damaging nutrients.

The city of Chicago is the major Mississippi River polluter which now has several dead zones.

There is a new waste water technology call the Ammonia recovery process (ARP), that almost pays for itself. This system creates a high grade fertilizer and a clean fuel from sewage sludge.

Castion Corp in Ma. produces the ARP system.

bluepen61 wrote:

Good grief!
If anyone has taken a fertilzer course in college, then one would realize that phosphorus is an essential nutirient and that it doesn't move or leach from the soil.
Ignorance is bliss today!

What is the cause of seaweed growth and or if it is becoming excessive ?

I like the "lawns" at homes out in the desert areas like around Las Vegas. A couple of boulders,some rocks and a cactus. If you prefer a grass yard they actually charge you a much higher rate for water. Great idea. Yet there are still quite a few homes with grass lawns. Amazing!

Liberals aren't the only ones concerned about the environment. That is a hammer used by politicians for political reasons. Those politicians aren’t interested in solving the problem but just continuing to exploit a concerned constituency.

Most conservatives I know are concerned. The extremists on both sides do the most harm. Calling people names or suggesting we should go back to riding horses closes the ear muscle very quickly. Most of us aren’t going to allow our lawns to go to a ground cover. I like the way my lawn looks and I intend to keep it, but if my soil doesn’t need phosphorus then I would say ban it.

Why do the liberal arty types who run the Skokie sculpture park along the MSD canal on McCormack Blvd., treat the lawn there with toxic herbicides? They post signs warning to keep children and dogs away, but seem content to just let the residue runoff directly into the adjoining waterway. Lincolnwood does the same thing.