2020.03.12

Residential Fertilizer Ordinance Update: 2020

Agency on Bay Management

Ed Sherwood

Executive Director

Tampa Bay Estuary Program

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

Major nitrogen load sources to Tampa Bay have changed significantly from the 1970s - Present

TBEP’s Focus on Nutrients

Partnership for a Healthy Bay

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Nitrogen Load Responsibility Fully Allocated & Capped in the Tampa Bay Watershed

Public Partners:• Hillsborough County• Manatee County• Pinellas County• Pasco County• Polk County• Sarasota County• City of Tampa• City of St. Petersburg• City of Clearwater• City of Palmetto• City of Bradenton• City of Largo• City of Lakeland• City of Oldsmar• City of Gulfport• City of Mulberry• City of Plant City• City of Safety Harbor• SWFWMD• US EPA• FDEP• FDACS• FDOH• FDOT• MacDill AFB• TBRPC• Tampa Bay Water• Tampa Port Authority• EPC of Hillsborough

County

• AEDC of Hills. County

Private Partners:• Busch Entertainment• Lowry Park Zoo

• Mosaic Co.• CSX Transportation• Florida Power &

Light• Tampa Electric Co.• Kinder Morgan Bulk

Term., Inc.• Duke Energy• Tropicana Products,

Inc.• Kerry I&F• Trademark Nitrogen• Yara N.A.• Alafia Preserve, LLC• Eagle Ridge, LLC• LDC Donaldson Knoll

Investments, LLC

<1%5%

11%

17%

66%

1%

Fertilizer Losses

Industrial Point Sources

Domestic Point Sources

Atmospheric Deposition

Nonpoint Sources

GW & Springs

MS4 Permits

NPDES Permits

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

• From 1992-2017, >$2.5 Billion has been invested by partners in 470+ projects reducing/precluding TN loads by 530+ tons/yr to Tampa Bay • Port Fertilizer Losses: Covered conveyor belts to load product on ships

• Atmospheric Deposition: Natural gas conversion/scrubber installations

• Industrial Point Sources: Reduced discharges through water recycling/reclaimed water use

• Domestic Point Sources: Reduced discharges through reclaimed applications/Increased treatment

• Non-Point Sources (Stormwater): • Micro-irrigation/fertilization practices, tailwater recovery on agricultural lands

• Various structural and non-structural BMPs in urban/suburban

• Capturing and removing Nitrogen in traditional stormwater BMPs is Expensive & Not Very Efficient• $20 - $400+ per lb of TN removed (or about $40-800K+ per ton)

• Stormwater detention/retention typically ≤45% nitrogen removal efficiency

Addressing All Nitrogen Sources in the Watershed

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

2008-2020: A Shift Towards Community Stewardship

•Policy Driver to Reduce Nitrogen Loads from Residential Stormwater (~40% sub/urban in 2017)

•Social Marketing Campaignto Foster Behavior Change

•Education to Reinforce and Encourage Behavior Change

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

• Adopted by TBEP Policy Board on November 14, 2008

• TBEP Tech. Pub. #06-08

• Implemented TBEP Model Ordinance language to various degrees in Pinellas (2010) and Manatee (2014) counties, City of Tampa (2011)

Hillsborough County (2010) implemented FDEP Model Ordinance language

Policy Recommendation: TBEP Model Fertilizer Ordinance

• No use or sale of lawn/landscape

fertilizers containing Nitrogen from June 1

– September 30 (rainy season).

• All lawn/landscape fertilizers used from

Oct. - May must be ≥50% slow-release

Nitrogen.

• No application of Phosphorous at any

time unless soil test shows deficiency (P

rarely needed in Tampa Bay watershed).

• Applies to homeowners and lawn care

professionals (reciprocal BMP training,

licensing and certification).

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

• Focus Groups Guide Campaign• Know Your Audience, Focus Messaging

Accordingly

• Fun is better than Fear!

• Engage People Where They Are • Traditional mediums + new technologies

• Retail stores/Garden centers

• 2012 & 2015 Surveys Showed an Increased Intent to Act• 47% → 63% less likely to summertime fertilize

• 29% → 70% replace all/part of lawn

• 52% → 86% plant natives & FL-friendlies

Social Marketing for Change

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

Consistent Messaging = Reinforced Community Knowledge & Behaviors

TBEP Residential Stormwater Quality Study (2011-2013): TBEP Tech. Pub. #02-15

• Social Surveys

• Countywide Phone (n = 835)

• Targeted Residents (n = 81 in 4 neighborhoods)

• Targeted Professionals (n = 6 of 31 attempted)

• Stormwater Quality in 4 neighborhoods

• Sampling too limited to fully understand initial ordinance effects

• At least 7 years of monitoring needed to find statistically significant trends in stormwater quality that may be a result of ordinances

• Pinellas County residents were significantly more aware of fertilizer ordinances and they were significantly more likely to cite specific details prescribed by the ordinance.

• Ordinances may affect resident behavior and lead to reduced application rates (93 lb N/acre in Hillsborough vs. 38-44 lb N/acre in Pinellas/Manatee)

Example Survey Questions Hillsborough Pinellas Manatee

Have you heard about residential

fertilizer restrictions in your area?*26% 44% 24%

Do the ordinances…

Restrict the use of lawn fertilizer

during the rainy season?75% 75% 66%

Restrict the sale of lawn fertilizer

during certain months?*62% 79% 51%

Reduce the amount of phosphorous

(“P”) allowed in lawn fertilizer?*65% 77% 69%

Reduce the amount of nitrogen (“N”)

allowed in lawn fertilizer?58% 62% 66%

Require training for professional

landscaping companies?57% 52% 45%

TBEP Tech. Pub. #02-15; Souto et al. 2019

Additional Observations: Pinellas County Water Quality Trends

• Residential fertilizer ordinance with enforced use and point

of sale restrictions (Summers 2010-Present)

• Be Floridian campaign (2010-Present)

• No trend in atmospheric deposition TN rates

• Neighboring counties have not shown as widespread

decreases in TN concentrations through 2018

Data: PCDEM

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

More Recent Research:Refining Sources of Nutrients in Residential Stormwater

• UF IFAS Research: Yang & Toor, 2016 & 2017

• Hillsborough (5) & Manatee County (1) Communities

• Atmospheric sources & fertilizers contributing a large proportion of nutrients to residential landscape stormwater

• 1-39% contribution of Nitrogen in stormwater from fertilizers

Yang & Toor 2017

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Partnership for a Healthy Bay

2020 & Beyond: Maintaining TB’s Recovery in an Urban Estuary

• Reducing Nutrient Inputs to Tampa Bay from All Sources Paramount

• Addressing Stormwater Nutrient Reductions is Challenging

• Sources of nutrients in stormwater include “fertilizers … atmospheric deposition, decaying plant material such as grass clippings left on streets, pet waste, sewage waste from leaky pipes & septic tanks, reclaimed water, and soil.”

• Increasing Suburban/Urban Impervious Areas Will Likely Increase the Delivery of Nutrients to Waterbodies, if multiple reduction strategies are not implemented

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae534

THANK YOU!www.tbep.org

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Water Quality Has Improved

Stormwater Regulations

Enacted

TBEP Partner & NMC Actions Implemented

Power Plant Upgrades

Port Facility Upgrades

Fertilizer Restrictions

AWT & Reuse Standards

Implemented

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