Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News

The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Volume 14, Number 4 • FAll 2006

Lake Michigan Basin Update

Reducing Phosphorus: Muskegon County Leading the Way in Michigan

By Annoesjka Steinman, Mona Lake Watershed Council

In June 2006 through efforts initiated by the Mona Lake Wa t e r s h e d C o u n c i l , M u s k e g o n C o u n t y , M i c h i g a n became the first county in the state to ban the sale and use of lawn fertilizers that contain phosphorus. Phosphorus bans in Dane and Madison Counties of Wisconsin as well as a ban in the State of Minnesota were the inspiration for the Muskegon ban. Several cities and townships in Michigan had have passed local ordinances as a way to address phosphorus inputs to lakes and streams.

However, Muskegon County municipalities saw no need to piece-meal the effort and therefore helped the Mona Lake Watershed Council urge the County Commission to pass the first countywide ordinance.

Senator Kuipers (R-Holland) then introduced SB 840, which would force the repeal of any local ordinances that dealt with phosphorus fertilizers. Numerous environmental groups, including the Mona Lake Watershed Council, voiced strong opposition to SB 840. After much wrangling over the issue, the bill was eventually passed in July as a mere fertilizer labeling update, with all references to phosphorus removed from the Bill.

Efforts are now under way by other Counties in MI, including Kent and Ottawa, to adopt similar phosphorus bans. In addition, new initiatives are underway in Illinois and Indiana to ban phosphorus in automatic dishwasher detergent. Eventually, we will get the phosphorus inputs to our Great Lakes and local bodies of water under control.

For more information:
Annoesjka Steinman,
Mona Lake Watershed Council
PH: 231-830-1600
E-mail: monalakewatershedcouncil@earthlink.net.

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. We work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin. Through these efforts we work with over 1,800 grassroots watershed groups and citizens to protect and restore the rivers, lakes and wetlands in their communities. The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

For more information, please contact:

info@glhabitat.org
P.O. Box 2479, Petoskey, MI 49770
PH (231) 347-1181;
FX (231) 347-5928