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Pesticides, fertilizers threaten water safety, advocate says

By William Kelly Posted Feb 5, 2020 at 4:23 PM   


Experts visit Palm Beach Monday for locally sponsored discussion on how fertilizers and chemicals used to treat lawns pose a danger to water resources and ecosystems.

Florida is home to miles of sprawling beaches and parks that draw millions of tourists each year. But it also is a land of ecological emergencies.

Red tide microorganisms and blue-green algae that overflow into rivers, lakes and the ocean endanger marine life while tarnishing the state’s reputation as an outdoor paradise.

Unfortunately, Florida’s water problem doesn’t stop at the beaches and rivers, according to Erik Olson, senior strategic director for health and food at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It comes into our homes whenever we reach for a faucet, he said, adding that the state is second only to Texas for having the worst tap water in the nation.

Olson was one of two featured speakers at Monday’s Where have all the songbirds gone II? panel discussion at town hall, which was sponsored by the town and four civic organizations.

The other was Mark Hostetler, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida.

Like last year, , the discussion focused on how the chemicals used to keep residents’ lawns lush and green, and free of weeds, are also toxic to birds, bees and other insects that are vital to the ecosystem. Many of the chemicals are toxic to people, including small children and pets that run and play on those lawns.

Some 7.5 million Floridians get water from systems that violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, which was enacted to protect people from toxins such as lead, arsenic, pathogens and bacteria, Olson said.

“This is common and hits communities across the country,” Olson said. “Coliform bacteria are common. Monitoring is a big problem. We test water in a way that, intentionally or unintentionally, is not finding problems that exist.”

Nine of every 10 water-quality violations result in no enforcement action, said Olson, who has 35 years of experience in health and environmental policy and law.

Olson said water pollution is a huge problem in South Florida, where fertilizers and pesticides are the most common contaminants.

Fertilizers result in algae blooms, which produce toxins. The answer is to reduce agricultural pollution caused by fertilizers and pesticides.

“We have widespread residential pesticide use here,” he said. “We urge people to think before you spray, and also talk to your landscapers and find out what they are using.”

Cities are required to publish water quality reports annually. West Palm Beach, which provides potable water to Palm Beach, releases its report each April, he said.

West Palm Beach’s water comes from the Everglades, flows through Grassy Waters and into Clear Lake. The water is conventionally treated with filters, lime softeners and chlorine disinfection.

You cannot count on federal water quality standards to keep you safe, Olson said.

“You will often hear that a pesticide is totally safe because the [Environmental Protection Agency] has approved it,” he said. “But the federal law that applies to pesticides is not very protective.

“It is a risk-benefit standard, which is not well applied, and there is no significant standard for children, which is the most vulnerable population.”

The NRDC has filed more than 100 lawsuits, including legal challenges against the Trump Administration, seeking water quality and other environmental protections.

“In our view, every American has a right to safe drinking water,” he said. “Our children really are the ones that are most at risk.”

Urban and suburban pollution is another huge problem. When sewage treatment plants are overwhelmed by storm runoff, untreated wastewater goes straight into the waterways, Olson said.

Ultimately, a government solution is needed, he said. “The answer is to invest in our infrastructure.”

People should not feel helpless because there are things all everyone can do, he said.

“We can buy organic foods,” he said. “We can talk to our representatives and not use pesticides routinely. Small steps add up.”

Living Green

Hostetler, is the author of “The Green Leap,” and has produced a TV series for PBS entitled “Living Green.” He conducts research on how residential landscapes can be designed and managed to protect wildlife and human health.

Urban areas can be an important breeding area or stopover site for migrating birds, he said, pointing out that conserving forest fragments and even individual trees helps to preserve bird habitat, he said.

Most people would not allow a dead tree, or portion of the dead tree trunk known as a “snag,” to remain in their yard. But those are prime habitat for woodpeckers, he said. “Twenty-six different species use those.”

It only takes one person in the neighborhood to change things up and get people talking. You might start by replacing exotic plants with natives that require less pesticides, or by replacing turf with prairie grasses that don’t need irrigation and require fewer, if any, pesticide applications.

“You are the maverick,” Hostetler said. “Just go out there and do something different. You’ll be amazed at how it will change things.”

He advised a smooth transition from exotics to natives.

“If you remove all the exotics it looks really different,” he said. “You can plant natives underneath and wait 20 years” to make the complete transition.

“You don’t go full bore. You do what I call controlled chaos. Put a [small sign] in there that says you are managing it in a way that is culturally acceptable, but trying to transform it.”

Monday’s discussion was moderated by Katie Carpenter, a Palm Beach resident and filmmaker specializing in environmental subjects. She has worked primarily with Animal Planet and National Geographic.

About 100 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the town, Garden Club of Palm Beach, Citizens’ Association of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Civic Association, and Palm Beach Preservation Foundation.

Read the full article on Palmbeachpost.com