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<br /> something like the septic system or whatever wastewater treatment they are doing,they also calculate
<br /> lawns. When he sees lawn programs being fertilized many tines by professionals, he says that it is an
<br /> excessive amount of nitrate/nitrogen being applied to the lawns.
<br /> If the Commission was going to see a regenerative or restorative effect,were they could see those
<br /> water bodies improve over tirnc, then they would have to see it below 5 parts per million. Haven't been
<br /> able to do that because all the information is still coming in,on how bad these water bodies have been
<br /> impacted by nutrient load.
<br /> Storm water can be infiltrated and preferably cleansed}which is what wetlands do,it's an
<br /> excellent process of removing and neutralizing a variety of things, he said,
<br /> Mr. Talbot passed handouts to the Committee and the audience regarding buffer zones. The
<br /> buffers can be meadows, coastal shrub lands, forested areas,pine barrens, he said.
<br /> Regarding the lawns that come right down to the salt marshes and wetland areas,he would at least
<br /> like to be able to see something that people not mow that last fifteen feet,just let it grow.,it would become
<br /> something of a meadow. That is far superior,mowed lawns are only slightly better by a few percentage
<br /> points than asphalt at infiltrating storm water.
<br /> .educing the amount of fertilizer used on a lawn would be a tremendous goal}the other is
<br /> pesticide, he said
<br /> Once lawn fert-ilizers are typically applied with rotary spreaders,that fetlitizer has been spread on
<br /> roadways, impervious driveways, sidewalks, directly into wetlands, where they don't belong, said Mr.
<br /> Talbot. particularly when they land on impervious surfaces, they're going directly into any storm water
<br /> drain that is downhill from it,he added. More often than not,there is a.tremendous potential for these
<br /> nutrients to move through the sander soils. Where isn't any roots or plants to capture these nutrients, it is all
<br /> sand he added.
<br /> He said that he saw in the industry a two-pronged thing had been happening, one, more regulation
<br /> coming down, some with materials banned for use now. And on the other hand, there has been more of a
<br /> public awareness,he said,that there's something going on,that isn't good.He said it is the fertilizers that
<br /> have some of the most insidious effects on water quality.
<br /> One of the efforts Mr. Talbot has been involved with in the Town of Falmouth is something called
<br /> the Falmouth Friendly Lawns program. It was strongly supported by the Selectmen(in Falmouth). He gave
<br /> out brochures regarding the lawns.
<br /> He said it had been a very great program. They put the lawns program at many events,
<br /> newspapers,had a public effort in every way in every forum and event and fair,there are Falmouth
<br /> Friendly people at the events,he explained,referring to it as his professional side.
<br /> Mr, Talbot said he would take some questions, finishing his presentation.
<br /> Mr. Theis then asked if Mr, Talbot bad some record about the cost of the programs.1\&. Talbot
<br /> didn't have them at the moment,He showed.that the brochures handed out were glossy. He suggested he
<br /> could be involved in there.Like any good sales effort,there is going to be something in it for them,the
<br /> public,he sari.
<br /> The Chairman asked a question of Mr. Talbot regarding recent figures of the amount of
<br /> homeowners using fertilizers,Mr. Talbot said that it is about twice the amount of homeowners applied their
<br /> own than do it professionally,he thought about 20 to 30%.He said the lawns were being applied with two
<br /> times as much fertilizer.
<br /> The Chairman asked if there were are there options to regulate those professional applicators?
<br /> Mr. Talbot said he has known it's been tried. He said that lobbyists, chemical, landscape;lawn
<br /> companies would go to the state level and try to ban municipal regulations.He said there should be some
<br /> standards for lawn professionals should follow,both with maintenance practices as well as in management
<br /> practices.
<br /> Mr. Storrs said that it would come to the attention of the market demand, in the sense that"I'm not
<br /> going to hire you if you do it(fertilize)the way you used to do it,I'm only going to hire you if you are
<br /> organically friendly. If you over regulate, he said, it makes the homeowners do it themselves.
<br /> Mr. Talbot answered that in looking at the industry as a whole,now even landscape architects are
<br /> talking about sustainable design,but if you look at all the industries of who rooves further, one industry has
<br /> been doing the sarrie things that they did before.What the regulatory process does is send a message to the
<br /> industry, that you've got to learn other methods;right now people are left with a choice. You either have a.
<br /> strict organic approach or you have the traditional 5-step program. There is no between.Few companies
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