3/20/2014 12:03 PM
I had a great conversation with the Florida DEP about this issues as they are creating BMAP's (basin management action plan) for our area. They have traced isotopes in the nitrogen back to being synthetic forms and not organic as being the major contributor to pollution in our local springs. But, they also realize that the majority of land surrounding our springs is also undeveloped farmland and the fertilizer applied to these properties is the underlying cause. They also acknowledged that golf courses and even professional landscapers follow the BMP's better than the Ag industry and are not the major source of runoff pollution in our area waterways. Unfortunately though, we are still a part of the problem. Likewise, farms are also exempt due to the Right to Farm act and therefore can not be restricted to what they do to their properties.