Phosphorus is one of the nutrients necessary for plant growth. Although misuse or misapplication may pollute lakes, proper application poses no threat of lake pollution, and may reduce pollution possibility. Inorganic phosphorus moves very little in soil, and when applied as a fertilizer it is quickly bound by soil. If not mixed into the soil, phosphorus from lawn clippings and tree leaves left in the streets and gutters is soluble and a potential pollution source. Nitrogen Nitrogen is present naturally in soils as nitrate ion, ammonium ion, and as a component of soil organic matter.
Ammonium is readily converted to nitrate is all but the wettest and driest soils.
Nitrogen generally produces the greatest growth response in plants of all fertilizer nutrients. Unlike phosphorus, nitrogen in its nitrate form is completely soluble and highly mobile in soil. The Effects on Groundwater Lawn and garden chemicals, such as fertilizers enter the groundwater in two ways. In the first method, the chemicals can enter the groundwater by rainwater into a stream as runoff. The water in streams replenishes groundwater, so the chemicals are absorbed into the groundwater as well.