Delavan Lake
Madison, Wisconsin restricted the sale and use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorous to improve the water quality in its lakes. Phosphorous is believed to be at the root of excessive algae growth in lakes. Likewise, the town of Delavan banned phosphorous in 2003 in an effort to ease Delavan Lake's chronic phosphorous problem. Now, the city of Delavan is considering a similar step.
Not only is the city part of the Delavan Lake watershed, but the ban could ease runoff that winds up in other area lakes as well as rivers and streams. Some residents argue that such an ordinance also could protect the city's groundwater and thus its drinking water.
Many welcome the city's proposal, believing that the more phosphorous that winds up in Delavan Lake, the more weeds and algae plague it.
December 6, 2005 1:43 AM | Category: Chemicals