Tampa City Council Urged to Fight Fertilizer Pollution

The Tampa City Council is on a fast track to pass an ordinance banning the use or sale of certain fertilizers during the summer rainy season. The law is intended to protect the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Local residents and activists showed up in numbers to today's City Council meeting to support the proposed ordinance.

“This isn't a crazy tree-hugger thing,” said Chris Costello of the Sierra Club. “This is common sense.”

The Sierra Club and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program say that during the rainy season, nitrogen and phosphorus from common lawn fertilizers run off into local waterways, causing harmful algae blooms. The pollution affects the natural environment and hurts tourism.

The proposed ordinance will come up for a vote at the City Council's June 23 meeting, at 9:30 a.m. Today, at the first reading of the ordinance, more than 15 citizens showed up to support the measure. They wore stickers reading, “Stop nutrient pollution with a strong fertilizer ordinance.”

A smaller number of industry representatives spoke against the measure. John Grant Jr. of Tampa opposed the ordinance because of the economic impact of restricting fertilizer sales. He said that a local point-of-sale ban would only shift the commerce to nearby areas.

“What you're going to do is encourage people to drive outside the city,” to purchase the prohibited products, said Grant, a former state senator.

Ingrid Smith, of Seminole Heights, disagreed.

“One of the best ways to enforce this is point of sale,” Smith said. “If they can't buy it, they can't put it on their lawn.” Smith said that her neighbors tend to buy whatever fertilizer is on the shelf and is on sale. She noted that less-polluting options, such as organic fertilizers and soil amendments, are available.

“This is not a total fertilizer ban,” Smith said. “There are alternatives.”

Councilwoman Mary Mulhern said that the economic arguments “don't hold water.” She said that improving local water quality would be an economic boon in the form of increased tourism.

“Clearly this is a great way to improve the health of our fresh water,”Mulhern said.

Supporters of the ordinance have urged the City Council to act quickly. If the law is not passed before July 1, it will be pre-empted by state law. The ordinance as proposed will ban the sale or use – for households – of fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorus from June through September, when runoff from rain is most prevalent. Tampa residents who wish to use fertilizers would have to use organic alternatives during the rainy season and slow-release fertilizers during the rest of the year. Farms, golf courses and other commercial operations are exempt from the ordinance.

Pinellas County passed a similar ordinance that went into effect June 1. Hillsborough County currently has a much weaker ordinance, which does not ban sales of fertilizer, only application at times when heavy rain is forecast.

Holly Greening, executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, said that protection of local waterways ultimately requires a comprehensive approach.

“Fertilizer restriction is just a tool in the toolbox,” she said.

The City Council will vote on the proposed ordinance June 23. The law seems poised to pass, with many council members speaking in favor, and only one,James Reddick (Central/East Tampa), voting against moving forward to a vote. Councilman Charlie Miranda (Central/West Tampa) said that although fertilizer restrictions were not a cure-all, “somewhere, somehow, we have to start.”

“It's just doing the right thing,” Miranda said.