The following presentations were made:
Press Release
April 21, 2014
Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance Inc. (GSWA)
Are you concerned about sewage back up in homes? Are you concerned about minimally treated sewage by-passing full treatment and entering our watersheds? Are you concerned about our 300 plus lakes, rivers and creeks?
The Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance in partnership with Dynamic Earth is hosting an Earth Week open panel discussion on Thursday April 24, 2014 starting a 6:30 pm at Dynamic Earth. This is a free event and all are welcome.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE OR …NOT?
Our title questions our relationship to the water around us. As climate changes how does our relationship with water need to be changed? Discover why and how we need to adapt to climate change in relation to our lakes, our city and our own backyards.
Our panelists will offer thought for discussion and open audience questions will further that discussion. Dr. Charles Ramcharan of Laurentian University will address climate uncertainty, Nick Benkovich, Manager of Water and Waste Water from the City of Greater Sudbury will address the issue of storm water and Dan Chaput a staff scientist at Science North will address alternatives to lawns, rain gardens shoreline buffers and summer drought.
GSWA is an association of lake, river and creek stewardship groups within the City of Greater Sudbury. Several member groups will have displays of their individual stewardship projects. Come on out and see the strides being made in lake stewardship. Meet our panel and members of GSWA. Find out what is going on!
Effective April 1, a new municipal by-law restricts the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus within Greater Sudbury. You may no longer apply general-use lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus. Check to make sure the middle number of the ingredient formula is “0”.
Phosphorus is still permitted in the following situations:
- When starting a new lawn from sod or seed during the first growing season
- When a test performed by an accredited soil testing service shows the soil’s phosphorus level is not sufficient to support a lawn
- For agricultural application
- On sod farms and golf courses
This by-law only relates to lawn fertilizers and does not affect other types of fertilizers, such as those used for flowers, vegetables, trees or shrubs. It does not restrict the sale of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus – only their use. When applying any fertilizer, residents are reminded to avoid fertilizing when the ground is frozen, when it is raining or forecast to rain within 48 hours, or within 15 meters of any body of water. If fertilizer spills onto an impervious surface such as a walkway, it must be swept onto the soil to ensure absorption.
If you’re concerned about the health of your lawn, check the pH of your soil to make sure it isn’t too acidic. You can purchase a simple soil test kit from local garden centres. If necessary, adding crushed limestone can decrease the acidity of the soil, which makes the nutrients more readily available to your grass.
This by-law is intended to help protect the health of Greater Sudbury’s lakes. In a community full of lakes, all chemicals, additives and products we use in and around our homes eventually reach the water. While phosphorus is a natural element needed for plant growth, too much phosphorus in a water body can be detrimental to the aquatic environment.
For more information, please visit
www.greatersudbury.ca or call 3-1-1.
By Bloomberg News, Sudbury Star wire service
The City of Greater Sudbury is the first community in Ontario to ban commercial fertilizers containing phosphorus.
Following a 90-minute discussion, council unanimously supported a bylaw brought to the city by the Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance.
When in effect in April 2012, the bylaw will ban outright the application of any fertilizer containing phosphorus, except for agricultural use, golf courses and newly laid grass seed or sod.
The bylaw will also restrict all commercial fertilizer use, whether they contain phosphorus or not. For example, applying fertilizers on frozen ground, during or just prior to rain or on driveways and pavement would be forbidden.
“These are common-sense restrictions,” Stephen Monet, the city’s director of environmental planning, said. “These fertilizers don’t need to be there and they are not to be used in this way.”
In introducing the bylaw, Monet made clear chemical lawn fertilizers are not the primary source of phosphorus loading in area lakes and the ban is but a small piece of a large and complex puzzle.
Indeed, in grudgingly recommending the bylaw, he predicted it would not help reduce phosphorus loading in area lakes. It would be virtually unenforcable, anyway. But it would signal the city’s intent to protect lake water quality and send a message that it’s a community- wide responsibility that doesn’t end with restricting fertilizer use.
Monet reiterated this is a grassroots issue, not a corporate or legal one. Fighting bluegreen algae and other threats to area lakes is the responsibility of citizens and homeowners and the decisions they make daily.
Monet pointed to a number of other pieces to the water-quality puzzle not addressed in the proposed bylaw:
- Research shows the benefits of a 15-metre shoreline buffer for all waterfront properties, where there is no landscaping or chemical treatments at all. If it’s already grass, it should just be left to grow and allow other species to invade, Monet said.
- Septic systems in watersheds need to be maintained to exacting standards. No one knows how many older septic systems aren’t performing to acceptible standards.
- Research shows construction sites are the largest contributor of chemicals loaded into lakes. These sites need to be monitored and studied.
Councillors agreed with the ideas and added their own.
Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said the city should do everything possible to encourage residents to get their soil tested to see if fertilizers are even needed. It would cost about $35, plus the cost of shipping the sample to Guelph.
Possibilities include offering subsidies, running clinics and partnering with other groups, such as Laurentian University’s Living With Lakes Centre, to educate residents on the use of fertilizers.
Before approving a bylaw, councillors first voted to ensure it is widely publicized in Ontario and eliminated a provision for staff to retain outside legal counsel to investigate jurisdictional issues.
Effective or not, the bylaw signals a positive change in attitudes and behaviours in the community, Ward 2 Coun. Jacques Barbeau said.
“When people manicured their lawns right down to the lake, no one knew any better,” he said.
“But today, we do and this issue has brought all this information forward.”
mwhitehouse@thesudburystar.com