Raise Your Voice for Water
You can help move important lake legislation along by contacting your Senators. Photo by Metro Watershed Partners.
In Montpelier two bills are pending that could use citizen support. The first is a bill to limit the sale and use of lawn fertilizers (H.26). The bill would require homeowners to have a soil test that showed their lawns needed phosphorus prior to applying phosphorus fertilizer. Stores selling phosphorus fertilizer would have to display it separate from phosphorus-free fertilizer and provide education materials noting that phosphorus causes water quality problems. This bill has passed the House and (as of April 7) was in the Senate Natural Resources Committee where it has received testimony. LCC has long advocated for such legislation.
The second bill (H.11) would assist individuals in properly disposing of unwanted pharmaceuticals. Sometimes pharmaceuticals end up in the toilet, but waste water treatment facilities are not equipped to remove the drugs and they end up in the water. Around the country improper disposal of pharmaceuticals has been linked with ecosystem impacts including developmental problems in frogs and conversion of male fish to female fish. A 2008 investigation by the Associated Press revealed that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supply of 24 major metropolitan areas. Proper disposal of unwanted pharmaceuticals is complicated by federal anti-drug laws that restrict passage of some prescription drugs from one person to another. The proposed legislation would make it easier for pharmacies to set up drug take-back programs. The bill has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate.
If you’re a Vermont resident, please contact your Senator and tell them you support these two bills.
