In a signal win for clean water advocates, the Washington State Senate passes bill to restrict phosphorous in lawn fertilizer.
By a vote of 32-16 today, the Washington State Senate passed the “Clean Fertilizers, Healthier Lakes and Rivers” bill (HB 1489). The legislation will tightly regulate the sale and use of lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus, basically restricting its use to special circumstances. The bill had passed the state House of Representatives with bipartisan support on February 28th.
HB 1489 restricts phosphorous in lawn fertilizer
Although phosphorous is an aquatic nutrient of concern throughout the state, the push to eliminate it from waste water has been especially strong in discussions and regulatory processes regarding the Spokane River. Phosphorous fuels algae growth which inexorably leads to a decline in dissolved oxygen levels in water bodies like Lake Spokane (Long Lake), endangering fish and other aquatic organisms. In some years, phosphorous promotes toxic algae blooms that can be lethal to pets and pose an immediate health hazard to humans who contact it while swimming. In addition to the Spokane River/Lake Spokane there are numerous other Washington water bodies where algae and low dissolved oxygen has been a chronic problem, including Lake Whatcom, Lake Vancouver, and Lake Washington.
“What’s especially gratifying about the news today from Olympia is that this was a statewide bill that really had its strongest roots in Spokane,” said Spokane Riverkeeper Bart Mihailovich. “It’s not every day that a statewide environmental initiative has its base of support in Eastern Washington.”
According to Craig Benjamin of the state-wide Environmental Priorities Coalition, the phosphorous bill was one of four legislative priorities this year for the coalition and its 24 member organizations.
“We applaud the State Senate for moving quickly to pass this important legislation,” says Mike Petersen, executive director of the Lands Council. “We have a responsibility to keep our lakes and rivers clean and healthy for ourselves and our children. We commend Sen. Scott White (D-Seattle) and Rep. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) for their leadership on this issue.”
“You don’t need phosphorous in your fertilizer to have a green lawn; there are better, cheaper alternatives that give all of us the freedom to have a beautiful yard and clean rivers,” said Rick Eichstaedt, an attorney with Spokane Riverkeeper. “Managing the sale of phosphorus lawn fertilizers in our state is a commonsense and cost effective approach to making sure that our lakes and rivers are clean and we’re not forcing our businesses and local governments to waste money on unnecessary infrastructure.”
–CFJ
