Phosphorus

Working with County Executive Falk to Create Two Community Anaerobic Digesters

March 10, 2009 -- MADISON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced support for two community anaerobic digesters that will aid in efforts to clean Lake Mendota and increase production of renewable energy. Governor Doyle was joined at today’s event by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, a leader in regional efforts to clean the area’s lakes and achieve energy independence. Governor Doyle is proposing $6.6 million in his capital budget to help fund the project.    » read more »

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JUNE 16, 2008 -- The 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, endorsed by federal agencies and several Mississippi River Basin states, was formally approved in New Orleans today.

Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico results from the introduction of excess nutrients from the Mississippi River Basin into the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrients are important to the environment, but excess nitrogen and phosphorus can harm water quality by feeding algae blooms and creating oxygen-deprived "dead zones" where marine life cannot survive.    » read more »

March 28, 2008 -- (AUGUSTA)-- Maine lakes and streams now have a better chance of staying healthy thanks to a new law discouraging the use of lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus.

Just as fertilizers can help plants grow in yards, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cautions that fertilizers also can help plants grow in lakes, streams, and bays. Rainwater and melting snow wash fertilizers and other pollutants from lawns down driveways, from road ditches into storm drains or directly into nearby waters. Excess nutrients from fertilizers, particularly phosphorus, can turn waters green, lead to smelly scums, and rob the water of its oxygen, potentially causing fish kills.    » read more »