Yesterday I received an alert message from WSNLA lobbyist Heather Hansen regarding Washington State Bill SB6289’s status and potential impact on the landscape industry. The headline of the bill is “Protecting Lake Waters by Reducing Phosphorous from Lawn Fertilizers”. And, as wording in the Bill itself states “Phosphorus loading of surface waters can stimulate the growth of weeds and algae and that this growth can have adverse environmental, health, and aesthetic effects;” (note: this is copy taken from one iteration of edits in the bill review process; this wording may change over time.).
Should this Bill become Law several specific changes may be forthcoming for lawn management companies according to Heather Hansen, WSNLA lobbyist including:
- Dept. of Ecology gains authority over fertilizer rather than the Dept. of Agriculture. (sec. 2)
- Different standards are set for solid and liquid fertilizer. (sec. 3)
- Organic fertilizer is effectively banned (sec. 3)
- Spills must be “immediately contained” — but enforcement and definition of these spills isn’t quite clear (sec. 4)
Having read through the copy of the bill Heather sent out, it seems that this bill will do nothing to limit fertilizer use by homeowners or limit fertilization for non-lawn use. I encourage you to read through the bill here and submit your feedback on it to the legislature. IMHO: while the idea of reducing lawn fertilizers is very necessary, this bill, as written, needs some deeper refinement to make it effective and useful in protecting the environment and in protecting small business.
If you’re a Washington State Resident and wish to contact your legislators about this bill, you may look up their contact information here.
Read more about ecologically sound lawn care for the Pacific Northwest here.
Read more about Pollution Prevention in Landscaping here.
