I’ve been in countless homes and sat in kitchens with reasonably concerned parents who looked at the farm out of their window and wondered about the ramifications of agricultural fertilizers contaminating their water supply.
We do know that fertilizers and pesticides can be directly linked to endocrine issues and increased risk for cancers of the prostrate, breast and thyroid as well as fertility issues and diabetes.
What I didn’t know was that we put a whopping 80 million tons of fertilizer over 30 million acres of lawns a year. That’s a rate 10x’s higher than what farmers do on the same acreage.
The American lawn is one of the biggest contributors to study after study showing pesticides and fertilizers in our water. Over a decade and a half ago, the U.S. Geological Survey found at least one pesticide in every single sample of streams and fish that they tested. And that was 15 years ago. It hasn’t gotten any better.
Westchester County mayor’s meeting discussed this a few months back. The article was kind of disturbing.
http://www.myhometownbronxville.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7025:from-the-mayor-what-we-put-on-our-lawns-ends-up-in-our-drinking-water&catid=107:financial-and-legal-services&Itemid=33
As always, if you would like to assess your options for improving the quality of your drinking water, drop us a line or hit the form on this site.
