Overusing fertilizers can affect water quality. That’s why each summer counties impose ordinances restricting fertilizer use.

To get the word out on using fertilizers responsibly during this time of year, a group of local municipalities, counties and organizations have teamed up.
The name of the group is the Fertilize Smart Education Consortium.

The group's message boils down to: don’t overuse fertilizers, observe local ordinances and avoid fertilizers that are banned during the summer months.

Kurt Harclerode is the operations manager at Lee County Natural Resources. He said this isn’t an anti-fertilizer campaign – it just urges moderation.

“It’s a matter of source control,” he said. “If we control the source of what’s going into our waterways, it’s much less expensive to prevent that from going in than cleaning up. It’s the least costly way to manage water quality.”

Nutrients from fertilizers can leach into the soil and end up in waterways. This can lead to algal blooms.

Users can learn more about their local ordinances at www.fertilizesmart.com