Fertilizer rules adopted

Published: Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 8:34 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 8:37 p.m.

The Volusia County Council adopted a countywide fertilizer ordinance on Thursday to protect water quality in the countys springs, lakes and rivers, including the Indian River Lagoon. The council also voted to notify state officials it intends to make the ordinance even stronger.

A county surrounded by water on three sides has an obligation to do the right thing, County Councilwoman Pat Northey said.

The council voted to adopt the states model fertilizer ordinance, and seek comments from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Department of Environmental Protection regarding four additional measures.

The model ordinance includes such measures as prohibiting applying nitrogen or phosphorus before seeding or sodding a lawn or within 30 days, banning fertilizer application within 10 feet of waterways and states that fertilizer should not be washed off or blown off sidewalks or streets into storm drains or waterways. It exempts agriculture operations, home gardens and golf courses, athletic fields and turf managed for active recreation as long as the turf grass managers are following state guidelines for best practices.

The four stronger measures would govern fertilizer use on lawns and turf. They would ban phosphorus, using fertilizer with nitrogen between June 1 and Sept. 30 and using fertilizer within 15 feet of a waterway. The fourth measure would require that at least 50 percent of the nitrogen in fertilizer be in a slow release form.

It would be shameful of us not to adopt the strongest protections we can do, Northey said.

The motion passed on 4-2 vote, with council members Josh Wagner and Deb Denys voting no. After the meeting, Wagner said he voted no because he didnt expect it to pass and hoped to add an exception for homeowners to get around the ban if they could prove their lawns needed nitrogen.

However, Wagner, who represents the county on a multi-county Indian River Lagoon collaborative, said he would support the four additional measures when the measures come back for a final vote.

If the measures are ultimately adopted, Volusia would join cities and counties along the Indian River Lagoon that have adopted fertilizer ordinances since last year, prompted by a looming crisis along the lagoon system. Since 2011, the lagoon system has been plagued by algae blooms that have killed more than 47,000 acres of sea grass and are suspected to be a factor in the deaths of hundreds of manatees, dolphins and pelicans.

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Fertilizer rules adopted