End of Fertilizer Season Update

It has been eight years since Marco’s Fertilizer Ordinance was approved on May 7, 2016 and according to the City’s website, “the Fertilizer Ordinance governs the registration of professional landscapers on the island and limits the amount of fertilizer that can be applied to a property in one year and also puts limits on the time of year and the type of fertilizer that can be applied.” Marco Island’s Fertilizer Ordinance also states that “overuse and improper application of Nitrogen and Phosphorous create water quality issues and pollute our treasured waters. They promote algae blooms and other excessive plant growth.” (Marco’s Fertilizer Ordinance season is from June 1-September 30th) 

In 2016, Gene Burson, a Marco resident, was Chair of the Beach Advisory Committee (BAC) and along with Committee members worked closely with Amber Crooks, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to adopt a strong fertilizer Ordinance to protect Marco’s waterways.  

According to Crooks, “What people may not realize is that water quality protection begins with the actions we take in our own yards. Fertilizer, when it makes its way to water, by leaching through the soil or in stormwater runoff, works much as it does on land in promoting growth. In the water, it can contribute to the development and severity of algae blooms, including those toxic to people, pets, and aquatic life. Nutrient pollution, in part caused by fertilizers, has become one of Florida’s biggest water quality issues.”  

For the 2024 Fertilizer Season, Marco Island’s Code Enforcement Officer Keith Richter provided the following update on Landscaping Companies and their compliance goals for 2024: 

• A 100% compliance for all Landscaping businesses working on Marco to be properly registered. 

• There are 238 landscaping companies that are registered to work in Marco Island. 

• There are 26 landscaping companies that have not completed the registration process. 

• If a company is found to be working on Marco Island in violation of City Ordinance 8-73(a), a Notice of Violation is issued. The company will have 60 days to complete the registration process and is not allowed to operate on Marco Island until properly registered. 

• Code Officers proactively look for landscapers with the proper window sticker on their vehicle. 

Is the Fertilizer Ordinance making a difference in our waterways? 

At a Waterways Advisory Committee meeting in August 2018, Turrell Hall and Associates (THA) presented a summary of data collected from Marco Island’s waterways between February 2017 and February 2018, and to which degree the waters of Marco Island are in compliance with State standards. According to the report, “nitrogen levels measured during the 2017 calendar year were over the allowed limits for most of the sampling stations showing that organic nitrogen levels (TKN) have drastically increased. While some of the increases could be associated with heavy rainfalls both in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, the levels have stayed high.” In addition, Turrell Hall reported, “based on the past three years’ data, the Marco Island waterways appear to be degrading in terms of nitrogen concentrations and are well above the State threshold and waters around the city could be considered IMPAIRED if the trend continues over the next year.” 

On August 22, 2019, the City of Marco Island received a letter from FDEP notifying the City that the canals were impaired with high levels of Nitrogen.  

Actions taken to lower nitrogen in Marco’s canals: It started in 2016with the completion of the Septic Tank Replacement Program; the Fertilizer Ordinance was passed with a summer ban on fertilizer use in 2016; the Wastewater Treatment Plant voluntarily reduced total nitrogen in the reuse water by 50% in 2019; and residents started implementing Florida Friendly Landscaping practices for their landscape. 

Based on the water quality testing data collected for the City of Marco Island over a period starting in 2018to the present, the trend shows that the Marco canals are slowly coming ‘out of nitrogen impairment.”  

Marco Island is currently in the FDEP “delist” process for nitrogen impairment and if the trend continues from 2022 to the present (almost three full years now), a report is expected “delisting” Marco Island canals for “nitrogen impairment.”