How can we keep fertilizers from washing into our waterways?

Question

This type of pollution is destroying a variety of watery ecosystems -- including our oceans! Many once prime fishing areas have already become unfishable. Is there any way to stop this from happening?

Answer 1

stop using fertilizers

Answer 2

The only way to stop it is to isolate each plant that is to be fertilized or stop applying fertilizer completely! The only other possibility is make a fertilizer that doesn't harm anything else yet still does the job, but that isn't what you asked!

Answer 3

One of the easiest ways to prevent fertilizer pollution is not to over applicate the fertilizer source that is being used.  Anyone appling fertilizer should calculate the specific amount cutting down on the amount of extra the is carried away as runoff.    The other thing to do to help filter the chemicals out of the runoff  is to plant filter strips along the edges of the fields mainly if that field is right next to a stream or river.  A filter strip is just a wide band of grass planted as a filtering system.  They are anywhere from 30 to 120 ft usually.

Answer 4

One of the ways to prevent fertilizer from washing into the water ways is to plant trees near the edge and throught the area which fertilizer are apply.

Trees are the best bet since their long strong roots trap the fertilizer from being blown away or wash away. However one tree planted only trap a certain amount of fertilizer within a radius, plant many trees everywhere has a much much higher chance of keeping the soil in place.

There is disadvantge to planting trees, trees take decades to reach their adult size and a long time for their roots to maximize area reach underground to hold on the fertilizer.

While planting trees, you should also plant tall grass and shrubs which they will too, trap the fertilizer in the ground,(they aren't effective as trees, but they grow quicklier and the taller the plant, the longer the roots will be) while  waiting for the trees to grow (oak, ash, maple, cedar, etc).

Answer 5

When using fertilizer and pesticide it is important to use only a minimum of product only when needed and use the proper product for the job with respect to the area and considering other plants, animals, children, and long term environment.

1) Use a product that is environmentally friendly. Chemicals that are designed to go quickly into the soil solution, which is what feeds the plant, can run off to a useless place like rivers and groundwater (yum!) If you have to use chemicals use a little and use them a bit more often if needed, never during heavy rain. They will just go past the plant too fast and your throwing money away. Organics, especially those designed to feed slowly are better at providing for the soil solution over the long period, still should be avoided in heavy rain periods for the same reason. Pesticides if you think you must should be selected for short duration before breakdown in the environment and should be used in a way that requires a minimal amount. Use only after other methods of control, to include, extra labor (pick the bugs, pull the weeds, understand and control disease threw monitoring/ managing).

2) Look at the job, look at the area. Riverside or Oceanview golfing? You better pick a different place or hire a consultant to do an organic job to be proud of or you will need a consultant in law when the townspeople are at your door with pitchforks and torches chanting "Kill the monster!" If you have a mile high pile of manure leaching into the river or ground water you need to find a way to deal with that, or your business expenses will put you out of business when the county comes, Bubba.

3) If you have runoff, it needs to be contained and managed. Some high chemical crops like cranberries in water managed bogs, use containment ponds and short duration chemicals that pose limited threat to environment.

4) Protect the soil, to manage soil solution, the nectur for plants. Use mulches to limit erosion mechanically and help to control leachate. Feed the soil organically with ammendments that are decomposed and digested by soil flora and fauna, the microbes, worms and bugs. The resulting soil solution is what the plants need to be healthy and then you won't need all the pesticides and chemicals.

5) Do you want your kids and pets to do your lawn/ garden/ field or play in those places?

Answer 6

The best way to stop nutrients from fertilizer application leaching into waterways is to a) control the application of said fertilizers or b) intercept them on route.  The former is done with more accurate machinery and techniques such as direct injection into the soil, and the latter by creating strips of land generally 1 to 2 meters wide at the boundary between the field and the watercourse.  These are called buffer strips, and can be planted with vegetation that is good at `stripping`nutrients.  This is a criteria for some grant schemes in the UK.

The problem of nutrients leaching from fertilizer is obviously caused by the application of soluble nutrients.  It would be far better to switch to an organic system concentrating on soil maintenance by rotation and green manures.

Answer 7

Probably the best way to do this is to create a "tortured path" from the field that has the fertilizer on it to the nearest water way. The more distance the water has to travel to get where it is going, the more likely it is for the fertilizer to absorb into the soil along the way. So get to landsacping the world :)

Answer 8

its called treated seed. get the 107 doller corn and bean seed.

Answer 9

Everyone above me has pretty well said it. They need to clean up their act and find something better then what they are now using.

I grown my own veggies and fruits and they are better for me and my family then anything I can buy out in the stores