I am writing this as a holder of two certificates in turf grass management from the University of Massachusetts and a commercial turf grass certification from the state of Massachusetts. I am also credited as a project assistant in the creation of the comprehensive University of Massachusetts publication titled Lawn and Landscape Turf BMPs, which contains the guidelines that our regulations were supposed to be consistent with. I say supposed to because there are several areas where they clearly are not. But by putting it through the boards of health, they were able to skirt around that legal requirement. Smart, yes. Deceptive, maybe.

So now I have to ask, how is it that the Martha’s Vineyard landscape community is being forced into a corner with our hands tied, unable to make professional, science-based management decisions because of the new fertilizer regulations (the MVC got sold a bill of goods by the boards of health with that one), while the Oak Bluffs wastewater commission has filed for state approval of newly developed sub-par leaching fields. So, let me get this right — the little guy (fertilizer runoff can be accountable for no more than five to 10 per cent of the nitrate entering our ponds) gets beaten with a stick while the major contributor (septic is accountable for 85 per cent or more of the nitrate entering our ponds) gets a get-out-of-jail free card. Does anyone else see the gross irony and inconsistency here?

Some of those who are responsible for the regulations will stick their chests out in pride with their accomplishment, while the people knowledgeable in the science of turf grass management (which weighs heavily toward environmental concerns) scoff at how inconsistent the regulations are with our knowledge and thinking. What did they really accomplish? A warm, fuzzy feeling? The bragging rights to say, look we’re doing something about this? They have not, and will not, achieve any reduction in the nitrate levels in the ponds with this regulation. In fact, what may very well happen is that the degradation in turf grass quality surrounding our ponds will lead to an increase in soil erosion, pesticide runoff, and you guessed it, nitrate runoff and leaching.

The bigger picture involves leaching from septic. This is the real problem. What can we do about it? How about focusing restrictions on this major contributor to our problem, and not relaxing standards and allowing for variances. In this day and age, with all our concerns, whose decision was it to construct sub-par leaching fields in the first place? And who approved the construction? And why, suddenly, has the Oak Bluffs wastewater commission changed its tune from saying they will wait for state approval of the request for a variance, to now, just two weeks later, outright approval of the bowling alley’s ability to tie into the sewer system. All this only 10 months after the MVC approval of their project which was based, in large part, on their promise of a zero nitrate output from their fancy, state-of-the art septic treatment system.

So what fuels this pathetic inconsistency? Yup, like everything else, money. If we are truly concerned about the health of our ponds, let’s start moving things in the right direction by refusing to allow this after-the-fact change to the promise that the developers of this project made to the Island and the MVC — a zero nitrate output. Then petition the state to disallow the use of the leaching fields until they are redesigned and reconstructed to meet current standards and output levels. I think that would be a good start. And, then, let’s take another look at these fertilizer regulations and make the changes necessary to bring them into consistency with the University of Massachusetts guidelines, which was legally required in the first place.

Steve Anagnos
Oak Bluffs