The interaction of nutrients, rainfall, algae blooms and seagrass
Title: The interaction of nutrients, rainfall, algae blooms and seagrass
Discussion Group Leaders: Kellie Dixon and Kris Kauffman
Problem: Fertilizer in water run-off from lawns eventually gets into oceans and springs causing algae blooms which can be detrimental to the environment.
How can we motivate homeowners and the general public to care enough to make changes to minimize the damage and what can they do?
How do we communicate the importance of habitat connections? Why should state funding go to this cause?
Do we actually know this is a solution?
- Data is only from one or two years and this doesn't account for climate cycles. It's difficult to quantify these things with hard numbers.
- Citizens will be reluctant to comply without hard numbers
A number of studies show that urban fertilizer impacts the ecosystem. The amount of impact depends on climate and urban density.
- Question: What would data from the 1900's century say about nitrogen levels?
- Some of the ground water has been dated to be 50-100 years old. The levels have definitely increased dramatically since then.
- The nitrogen in fertilizer is similar to the nitrogen in rain water. Human activities have also contributed to nitrogen in the atmosphere which also influences nitrogen levels in the water.
- The springs have definitely been affected. Some species of algae can be toxic to humans and animals.
- It took a long time for the water to get to the point where it could no longer assimilate the nutrients being put into it.
- Citizens should care about water clarity so that they can enjoy the water.
- Freshwater going into the bay is okay, it's the stuff in the water that causes problems for the ecosystem
The problem is not only convincing the citizenry but also convincing policymakers who are uninformed on the research. Scientists don't have “ad money” to communicate with decision makers.
- Politicians are most interested in the minimal effort to make the problem go away.
- Broaden the reasons why people should care about red tide. Make the public and the decision makers care.
Are there less expensive ways homeowners can control this problem?
- The rain garden program
- Boxes near the downspout that redirect the water onto the lawn instead of into the gutter
- remove a small patch of sod by the downspout and make a rain garden
- Retention ponds
How do you tell people this information?
- The community must decide they want to do something first.
- The Herald Tribune and the Bradenton Herald are doing a good job of educating people about this issue
- The information is out there, but some degree of self-motivation is necessary for people to seek it out
As a homeowner, is it feasible to retain the water on your lawn?
- Benefits of having a pond
- allows algae to grow in them so that the nutrients are used up before the water returns to the ground water
- Don't be concerned if you have algae
- spraying to attempt to kill the algae in ponds can contribute to algal growth because the increased detritus allows more stuff to grow
- You can physically clear the pond out
- There are plants that do the same thing
- Some types of grass require more care than others
- Landscaping can be used
Land conservation and land acquisition play an important role. How do we communicate to the public?
- Focus money on long-term efforts than short-term, potentially more expensive projects
How do we get this information out to the public?
- Inform the public that they can use less fertilizer, show them examples
- Longboat Key has been doing this for three years. Does it look worse? No!
- Fertilizing in the summer brings out certain bugs who eat turf and lead to it needing replacement. In one community they used less nitrogen during the summer and now instead of spending $90,000 a year on turf replacement.
- Turf sellers aren't pleased with this because it's bad for business even if these efforts are good for the consumer
- This is a great incentive for the citizens to take the action they ordinarily would be too selfish/apathetic to take.
- Scientific journalism and opinions articles can inform people at the local level
- Anybody can write opinions articles about the issue
- Go directly to homeowners associations and tell them all the money they can save
Policy disconnects?
- HOA policies require homeowners to maintain their lawns to a certain aesthetic level which can be environmentally detrimental and this leads to more tax money being spent correcting the damage
- Have an ordinance for the adequate amount of fertilizer and have a fine for using too much.
- Connect the organizations dealing with the problem with educational institution. Educate the kids to educate the parents.
