At the suggestion of Chairman Joe Flescher, the Indian River County Commission today voted unanimously to appeal to Indian River County cities urging them to adopt fertilizer ordinances consistent with the county’s new regulations passed August 20.
After Vero Beach, Indian River Shores and Sebastian had already adopted fertilizer ordinances, the County Commission finally acted, and in an effort to protect the Indian River Lagoon from dangerous chemical runoff, went a few steps further than the state model ordinance largely followed by the cities.
The county’s ordinance bans the application of phosphorous during the rainy season from June through September, and requires the use of nitrogen that is no less than 50 percent slow-release. The county’s ordinance also bans the application of fertilizer within 10 feet of waterways, and requires lawn care professionals applying fertilizer to be trained and licensed.
Vero Beach City Council members Pilar Turner and Richard Winger have already expressed support for adopting a fertilizer ordinance that conforms with the county’s.
Indian River Guardian 
Who will provide the training? Will this be an additional license and fee other than the occupational licsenes? Ferterlizer is not the only problem you have companies that are not trained, licsened to spray weed killers, insecticides and herbicides. This is a practice that the citrus growers of this county have done for years this has also effected the lagoon. As a life long resident and sixteen years of lawn maintenance experience I have seen this happen many many times.
While that’s all well and good the science says that fertilizer runoff represents only about 10% of the problem. The real problem is the hundreds of septic tanks close to the lagoon that leach sewage into our waters on a daily basis. But fixing that problem would take political courage, leadership and effort. All in short supply in this community.
LylesDad,
You are, of course, right – fertilizer is the “low hanging fruit”. It is also the least expensive – to fix – of the IR Lagoon’s problems.
Fixing the septic tank leakage is going to be really expensive. Fixing the relief canal runoff is going to be more expensive. And fixing road runoff is probably in the middle.
These are all human caused problems.
Bob Bruce