Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Aug. 23, the Senate and the House enacted a bill that would restrict phosphorus in lawn fertilizers.
The bill (H. 4306) would require the use of low-phosphorus or phosphorus-free fertilizers on lawns, with an exemption for new lawns, agriculture and turf farms.
The bill would ease the burden on municipalities to remove phosphorus from stormwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that restricting phosphorus in fertilizers could save communities approximately $180 million per year in avoided treatment costs.
The EPA has ordered municipalities, treatment plants, businesses, and other large producers of wastewater to reduce the amount of phosphorus being discharged by stormwater systems into rivers, lakes and streams, where it stimulates algae growth.
The EPA is expected to issue more stringent stormwater and sewer permits in the coming months. The new permits have the potential to cost communities hundreds of millions of dollars.
The objectives of the bill were endorsed by MMA members at the Annual Meeting in January.
The bill is expected to be signed by the governor.