ALL HAIL Wisconsin Sentinel and John Muir Chapter Chair Eric Uram for his great op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on a new rule to limit phosphorus pollution in state waterways.

Excerpts:

‘Friday marks the end of the comment period on the newly proposed phosphorus rule promoted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a means to improve the health of the waters of Wisconsin. In considering this rule, I'm reminded of the old joke: "The 'p' in pool is always silent." Well that pee is really mostly nitrogen; this is a different "p."

Everyone who tends a garden or lawn knows about the N-P-K formula of fertilizer - the essential nutrients to plant growth (along with air, water and sunlight). The nitrogen "N" and the potassium "K" in our waters aren't the primary problem; the phosphorus "P" is.

Quite a bit of the phosphorus that ends up in our waters comes from "hu-manure" and the processing of organic materials. It's right there on your bag of Milorganite. But treatment plants only remove about 80% of the phosphorus; the remaining 20% from an ever-expanding population is becoming too much.

With a multibillion-dollar tourism and vacation home industry that champions lake and streamside offerings, Wisconsin can't avoid paying in some way. If we want to improve the swimming, fishing and boating opportunities, we need to put this rule on the books and invest in protecting our waters as one of the key economic drivers for the state.’ ___________________________________________

 http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/92454479.html

Opinion

Phosphorus rule protects Wisconsin waters