Brevard County Passes Stricter Fertilizer Ordinance
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| Graphic Credit: SJRMD. Tropical Storm Fay, Florida Fish and Wildlife Manatee Count, Coldest Winter, Fukushima, and Superbloom added by Brevard Times |
VIERA, Florida -- On the Agenda for the March 5, 2014 Brevard County Commission 5 p.m. meeting is a proposal for a tougher fertilizer
ordinance that could include a rainy season
ban from June 1 through September 30. The ordinance would also require that fertilizers contain no phosphorous and at least 50% slow release nitrogen.
Last month, the Palm Bay City Council did not pass any fertilizer ordinance because
Council members could not agree on whether to include a rainy season
ban. There, the debate was as much science as it was politics.
One
side believed that the lack of fertilizers during the rainy season,
when grass is growing the fastest and absorbs the most fertilizers,
encourages the leaching of nitrogen and phosphorous into the Indian
River Lagoon - because lawns thin if not fertilized - which ultimately
allows more fertilizer to runoff.
The
other side of the debate believed that the application of fertilizer
during the rainy season simply means more nitrogen and phosphorous
runoff into the Lagoon.
Last month, Brevard Times took a closer look at potential causes for the seagrass loss and discovered that manatees play a significant role in seagrass destruction and contribute to the nitrogen and phosporous load in the Lagoon.
As
the above graphic shows, there appears to be an inverse relationship
with the manatee population counts and seagrass acreage whenever the
manatee count exceeds around 1,700 on Florida's East Coast.
UPDATE: The Commission unanimously voted for the stricter fertilizer ordinance.
