NORMAN — One Norman advisory board wants to know how you handle fertilizer, fallen leaves and pet waste, but they’re not looking for pointers.
In a Wednesday night meeting of the Environmental Control Advisory Board, members met to discuss — among other things — the implementation of a lawn fertilizer survey, which the board hopes to use to guide its public education initiatives. These initiatives might include workshops, literature and newspaper advertisements.
The board is looking for ways to cut down on phosphorus runoff, which often finds its way into local water reservoirs, and they say fertilizer has a lot to do with it.
“Fertilizer is kind of a complicated thing, if you don’t know about the chemical composition — the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,” board chair Amanda Nairn said. “And if you just go buy what’s cheapest, that’s really detrimental for water quality.”
Nairn suggests area residents profile their soil before they apply nutrients, which may reveal that fertilizer is not necessary. Nairn said she wants to focus on things the board can educate people on and control.
“We kind of want to teach people to do the right thing if they don’t already know,” Nairn said. “We don’t pretend like we’re going to save the world, but it’s a start.”
Despite the board’s intentions at Wednesday night’s meeting, the lack of a quorum prevented it from taking action. The board will vote on the approval of the survey at its next meeting, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 21.
Joel Pruett 366-3540 jpruett@normantranscript.com
