Urban nutrient management can make lawn's more Bay-friendly and reduce the risk that fertilizers or plant biomass will enter the Bay. When combined with lower phosphorus content in lawn fertilizer due to recent state laws, these practices can greatly reduce the risk that nitrogen and phosphorus will enter stormwater or move through groundwater. In addition to the automatic credit communities receive from fertilizer legislation, communities can also earn credit for individual properties with a written plan that uses these 10 core urban nutrient management practices
- Maintain a dense cover of grass or conservation landscaping to reduce runoff, prevent erosion, and retain nutrients
- Reduce or eliminate fertilizer application
- Do not apply fertilizers before spring green up or after the grass becomes dormant
- Maximize use of slow release N fertilizer
- Immediately sweep off any fertilizer that lands on a paved surface
- Never apply fertilizer within 15 to 20 feet of any water feature and manage this zone as a grass, meadow, or forest buffer
- Keep clippings and mulched leaves on the lawn and keep them out of streets and storm drains
- Set mower height at 3 inches or taller
- Use other practices to increase the porosity and infiltration capability of your lawn to treat stormwater
- Consult with your local extension service office or lawn care company to get the best advice on how to have a Bay-friendly lawn, which might involve a soil test analysis
The Chesapeake Stormwater Network provides a variety of resources on Urban Nutrient Management to help achieve load nutrient reductions to meet the Bay TMDL by 2025. An expert panel reviewed more than 200 research studies and reports to understand the science behind nutrient management and developed a set of recommendations that outlines three types of nutrient reduction credits associated with this practice. Resources include a fact sheet, a webcast, and an expert panel report.
