Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Aug. 29, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation that restricts the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, a measure that is expected to help cities and towns comply with federal regulations requiring that phosphorous be removed from stormwater.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered municipalities, treatment plants, businesses and other large producers of wastewater to reduce the amount of phosphorus being discharged into rivers, lakes and streams by as much as 65 percent. The EPA has estimated that restricting phosphorus in fertilizers could save Massachusetts communities an estimated $180 million per year in avoided treatment costs.
Phosphorus in fertilizers contributes to algae blooms in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.
If the decline in phosphorus is significant, the EPA has indicated that it would consider lessening the phosphorous-reduction requirements on municipalities. A key possible outcome is that cities and towns would not be required to build treatment plants to remove phosphorus from stormwater.
The new law gives the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, 14 months to develop regulations that will allow only low-phosphorus or phosphorus-free fertilizers to be used on lawns.
Agricultural applications, turf farms and new lawns are exempt from the law.
In September, the MMA’s Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment thanked Rep. John Fernandes, the chief sponsor of the phosphorus legislation. The objectives of the law were endorsed by the MMA’s membership at the Annual Meeting in January.
The legislation also had the support of numerous agencies and organizations, including the DEP, the 495/MetroWest Partnership, the Nature Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Waterworks Association.