Orange County approves stricter fertilizer rules to curb water pollution

ORANGE COUNTY – The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to enact a stricter fertilizer ordinance to curb water pollution, according to a news release.

The ordinance calls for a “summer blackout,” in which the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorous will be banned yearly from June 1 to Sept. 30, with few exceptions, the release said.

The size of fertilizer-free zones next to bodies of water will be increased from 15 feet to 25 feet, and only 3 pounds of fertilizer containing nitrogen may be applied annually to every 1,000 square-feet of land, the county said. Additionally, any nitrogen-containing fertilizer applied to yards and landscapes must contain at least 65% slow-release nitrogen, the county said.

Julie Bortles, regulatory compliance program coordinator for Orange County’s Environmental Protection Division, told News 6 that nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizer pose the county’s primary pollution problem.