By tying this information to nitrate measurements at the springs and upstream, Katz and Hornsby conclude that the nitrates, now creeping up to dangerously high levels in some places, come from inorganic sources, fertilizers, as well as organic sources, or, animal wastes. Since we know that the amount of nitrogen released into the environment in the past 12 to 25 years has been substantial, the fear is that the demise of many North Florida springs may already be determined. A recent segment on the threats to spring water quality featured the work of Katz and Hornsby. He and others will be applying a similar methodology to study the nitrate problem in the Woodville Karst Plain, which includes Wakulla Springs. Livestock operations and crop farms clearly cause problems.
Few homeowners can sit on their hands and watch their expensive sod die.
A thinning lawn can also mean greater erosion. As for livestock runoff, well there's another argument for vegetarianism, but the more real-world approach is to require animal farms to better control their runoff, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently is trying to do. Dethatching or at least a really vigorous raking, as well as aerating your lawn may be as important for lawn health as exercise and a sound diet are for humans in terms of disease prevention. I trudge around the lawn in these contraptions and get a good workout and some funny looks from passers-by. And the Democrat's garden columnist, David Marshall, passes along the advice of a turf expert discussing a common area lawn grass, centipede.