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nutrients in water bodies and can come from human-related sources. Phosphorus and nitrogen are <br /> two important nutrients used by blue-green algae in their growth, and can be found in fertilizers <br /> and human and animal waste. Health concerns from harmful algae blooms and their toxins vary <br /> depending on the type of exposure, and the amounts and types of toxin present: <br /> • Contact with these algae can cause skin and eye irritation. <br /> • Ingesting small amounts can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Ingesting large <br /> amounts of toxins may cause liver or neurological damage. <br /> • Inhaling water spray with algae in it can cause asthma-like symptoms. <br /> • Small children and pets are more susceptible to the effects of toxins than adults. <br /> Livestock and pet deaths from ingesting algal toxins have occurred. <br /> Direct public health effects of excess nutrients on drinking water sources are well known and <br /> include the increased concentrations of nitrogen to levels that can violate the Safe Drinking <br /> Water Standards. Nitrates and nitrites are nitrogen-oxygen chemical units which combine with <br /> various organic and inorganic compounds. Nitrates are common components in fertilizer. Once <br /> taken into the body, nitrates are converted to nitrites. Infants below six months who drink water <br /> containing nitrate in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) could become seriously <br /> ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue baby syndrome. <br /> The groundwater underlying this town is the sole source of its existing and future water supply, <br /> including drinking water. The groundwater aquifer is integrally connected with and flows into <br /> the surface waters, lake, streams and coastal estuaries which constitute significant recreational <br /> and economic resources of the town used for bathing and other water-related recreation, and <br /> shellfishing and fishing. <br /> The Town has significant amounts of glacially deposited coarse, sandy soils that are subject to <br /> rapid water infiltration,percolation, and leaching of nutrients. These soil characteristics mean <br /> that agronomic practices of soil fertilization common in other parts of the region, state and <br /> country may not always apply in the Town, as these practices vary by soil type. <br /> The Board of Health recognizing that excessive, inappropriate or improper use of fertilizers is <br /> part of the overall problem of nutrient pollution promulgates the following regulation regarding <br /> the use of fertilizer on turf. This regulation incorporates by reference UMass Amherst <br /> Extension's Turf Management Best Management Practices which from time to time may <br /> undergo changes in response to scientific research. The practices and standards set out herein,if <br /> followed, are deemed to protect the public health, including assistance in improving water <br /> quality and in achieving compliance with the Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDL)for the <br /> Town's water resources prescribed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts while allowing <br /> reasonable use of fertilizers for the enhancement of turf quality. <br /> SECTION 2.APPLICABILITY <br /> 2 <br />