Barnstable assembly OKs plan to limit fertilizer use on Cape

Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.迷你倉Sept. 20--BARNSTABLE -- Cape Cod towns have until Jan. 1 to decide how, or if, they will regulate fertilizer use within their borders now that the path to doing so has been cleared by the county.The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates on Wednesday approved a Capewide planning district for fertilizer that allows towns to regulate when and how much of the material is applied to lawns and other green spaces. The vote affirms a prior action taken by the Cape Cod Commission to establish the so-called District of Critical Planning Concern.But the vote, which came after several contentious rounds of feedback, doesn't mean towns will be forced to clamp down on fertilizer use, said Assembly Deputy Speaker Teresa Martin, of Eastham."If the town does nothing, the default is that the state regulations apply," she said.But the state regulations have not been issued yet, leading to much speculation about their contents. Martin said locals were concerned they would deal more with phosphorus-based fertilizers, which affect fresh water, and not nitrogen-based ones that affect saltwater bodies found on the Cape.The Cape Cod Commission provided draft guidelines for the assembly to use in its deliberations; towns will be able to use those as a template for their own actions, said Assembly Speaker Ronald Bergstrom, of Chatham. Ultimately, however, the commission will have to approve each town's regulation to ensure a degree of uniformity迷你倉最平across the Cape."That helped put to rest arguments that the regulations would be severely different" from town to town, Bergstrom said.Local officials have focused on fertilizer, along with wastewater from septic systems, as a source of excess nitrogen and phosphorous that causes water quality problems in area bays and ponds. Installing town sewers to reduce the flow of nutrients could cost billions of dollars, so regulating fertilizer has become a less expensive way to reduce the runoff.After Falmouth passed a bylaw in 2012 to regulate fertilizers, state Attorney General Martha Coakley struck it down because it was inconsistent with the state law giving the authority to the Department of Agricultural Resources. The Legislature later inserted an exception into the state budget bill for towns that had passed ordinances or bylaws on nutrient or fertilizer management in the past year. Orleans had passed a similar bylaw by that time.For other towns on the Cape, however, the planning district is a way to preserve the ability to regulate fertilizers in the future.The fertilizer planning district passed with seven votes, representing 57.33 percent of the Cape's population, in favor. Six delegates, representing 35.39 percent of the population, voted against the district. Two delegates were absent.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉