Municipal
Applications
What does it take to achieve a lush lawn? A perfectly manicured
ballpark? A rolling green golf course? Many times it takes chemicals.
Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers are used in these settings
to:
- control
weeds
- protect
wood structures
- eliminate
undesirable pests
- maintain
gardens, lawns, and decorative landscapes
Professionals
are often responsible for chemical application on golf courses or
parks, but homeowners are a different story. They’re not usually
trained in chemical application and tend to use more than is necessary.
When too much of a chemical is applied, it is more likely that some
will run off and end up polluting a waterway.
Because these
chemicals are part of the problem,
it’s difficult to tell what percentage of the chemical pollution
problem comes from farms and what percentage traces back to urban
households. While agriculture often gets the blame, studies show
that roughly 27% of all pesticide use in the U.S is in urban areas.
Since the yard around their house is much smaller than the average
farm field, most homeowners probably don’t notice an increase
in cost if they use too much of a chemical. But if a farmer overapplied
just an ounce of fertilizer or pesticide on every acre, it would
end up costing thousands of dollars. So they carefully calculate
the right amounts to apply in order to maximize their profit.
What can be
done to reduce urban chemical pollution?
- Education
efforts can be made to teach homeowners about proper use and disposal
of commonly used chemicals.
- Lawn care
suppliers can offer homeowners nontoxic alternatives.
- Homeowners
can hire lawn care companies that are certified in chemical application.
- Buffer zones
can be planted around creeks, streams and rivers to filter runoff.
- Storm sewer
runoff could be routed through a wastewater reclamation plant.
Should the
cost be shouldered by the communities that create the pollution,
or the communities downstream who must treat the water before they
can use it?
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