We need your help to stop excess nitrates from contaminating our waters. The following message is from Cris Costello of Sierra Club:
Cris Costello
Good afternoon: I am hoping you can help us distribute this sign-on letter (see below) to businesses in and around Alachua County, with a special concentration on those businesses related to springs, rivers, etc. Our deadline for signatures is COB Monday, April 8. Thank you!
———- Message to forward ———
Dear Friend: We are very concerned about poor water quality and imperiled springs negatively impacting our local economy (and our quality of life) in this region and are hoping you will join the effort to support strong urban fertilizer management in Alachua County.
We are distributing this sign-on letter in order to send a message from businesses to the Commission that clean water is important to businesses too. This is to counter the agrichemical industry’s opposition to the protective ordinance.
The letter is attached and pasted below my signature.
Please consider signing on to the letter. We will need to receive your “signature” by Monday (4/8) close of business.
RE: Business Support for Strict Rainy Season Application Ban of Urban Fertilizer
Dear Commissioners:
We, the below-signed representatives of area businesses, commend you and Alachua County staff for an excellent job of drafting a protective urban fertilizer ordinance.
After nearly twelve (12) years of strong urban fertilizer ordinance protection along the gulf coast, it is easy to make an argument for a strong ordinance for Alachua County. Considering the fact that our springs, like their beaches, are the bases of so much of our local economy and our general quality of life, it is just as important for us to do what we can to protect our water resources.
There are very good reasons to address urban fertilizer: (1) strong ordinances are low-cost alternatives that can make the difference without onerous enforcement measures; (2) preventing fertilizer pollution is much more cost-effective than taxpayer-funded clean-up projects; and (3) strong ordinances have been successful in both reducing the amount of nutrient pollution in at-risk water bodies and maintaining lush Florida landscapes.
When it rains it pours pollution into our waterways. We believe it is time for Alachua County to adopt a strict rainy season application ban that will, along with the rest of the strong ordinance provisions, help professionals and citizens alike avoid wet weather pollution events all year long.
The below-signed businesses support the draft ordinance, ask you to stand firm against those who oppose this proactive approach to the management of urban fertilizer, and thank you for your leadership to protect our way of life.
The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 in California by John Muir, Joseph LeConte, and others. Their goal was to “enlist the support and cooperation of the people and government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada.” For years, Muir had hiked the mountains of California and shared the wonders he found with others, including President Theodore Roosevelt. There’s more on the history of John Muir and the Sierra Club here.
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