THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507250102
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID S. ROSENTHAL
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
The quality of drinking water is a growing concern to the residents of South Hampton Roads.
The City of Norfolk Department of Utilities exceeds government standards to ensure the purity of the drinking water it supplies to its customers.
But the Department of Utilities needs the help of all residents to ensure a safe drinking-water supply for the future.
The following information is intended to help residents preserve Norfolk's watersheds:
The Nutrient Dilemma Residents are faced with a challenging situation:
With too few nutrients, a lake, a stream or even an estuary can become sterile and lifeless.
Our drinking water reservoirs are fed by runoff from the watershed - the land area that drains into the lakes. With too many nutrients flowing into the reservoirs, biological activity can result in algae blooms, excessive weed growth and fish kills. This can affect the taste and odor of the water Norfolk is able to supply to its customers.
The ideal is an ecological balance with a diversified food chain ranging from tiny algae to fish. We should try to encourage aquatic communities that favor desirable species in limited numbers and to alleviate symptoms of overabundance.
This is a fairly simple task to undertake. In fact, it requires residents to do less then they may currently be doing.
The Problem The desire for a quick, green lawn can tempt homeowners or lawn-care companies to overapply or misapply fertilizer. Rain quickly and easily washes some fertilizers from the lawn surface, leaches soluble nutrients from the soil and delivers a hearty meal, often garnished with weed killers and insecticides, to our reservoirs via storm drains and streams. The end results are noxious green scums and submerged aquatic jungles. These plant masses make the water unattractive. Ultimately the plants decay, robbing fish and other organisms of vital oxygen.
There are no ordinances to govern this form of chemical pollution. It is up to homeowners to practice environmental courtesy and good sense in caring for their lawns. Fortunately, the problem can be minimized simply by
Using less fertilizer.
Using the right formula of fertilizer.
And applying fertilizer in the fall, not the spring.
A Solution . . . An ecologically sound and environmentally sensitive lawn and garden program for homeowners can help control excessive nutrient enrichment of our reservoirs and the Bay.
The following practices will minimize this unwanted pollution:
Use less fertilizer.
Avoid the common practice of applying a single, heavy dose of fertilizer in the spring.
Fertilizers should be water-insoluble and slow-release.
Fertilizers should have very little or no phosphorus content.
Applications should be scheduled according to the type of grass being grown.
If you have a lawn problem, select a cure using the most ecologically sound solution.
Avoid blanket use of chemicals to control pests and weeds.
When you use a lawn service, select one that maintains turf in an environmentally sound manner.
A soil test will provide information on the condition of your soil. The test analysis may tell you that you do not need to add phosphorus or that less nitrogen may be needed. This will save you money.
What To Ask For When using fertilizer, these are the important characteristics to look for:
A no-phosphorus fertilizer formula. Typical Virginia soils have enough phosphorus to provide a healthy lawn.
If phosphorus is applied, use a fertilizer with a low-phosphorus formula.
A high percentage of the nitrogen should be water-insoluble nitrogen. This is often abbreviated ``WIN'' and means that the fertilizer continues to release slowly despite the presence of water. Even if the fertilizer washes into the receiving waters, it does not become immediately available to plant life. Timely applications of slow-release fertilizers provide your lawn with a steady, rather than a ``feast-famine,'' diet.
Soil Testing Stop by your Extension Service office or any public library in Norfolk or Virginia Beach to obtain a free soil-testing kit. Take the soil sample according to the instructions and mail it along with a check to Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory. You will be sent a report that will provide you with instructions on improving your lawn and, in particular, will indicate whether you already have sufficient phosphorous soil content. Allow two to four weeks for the test to be analyzed and returned to you. Check with your lawn-care company to see if they will take the soil sample and send it to the laboratory for you. MEMO: David S. Rosenthal is Reservoir Manager for the City of Norfolk. by CNB