Nitrogen

Funding available for septic upgrade The Anne Arundel County Department of Health is funding nitrogen-reducing units for septic systems through the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, which is supported by a state grant. Applications are available on the department's Web site at www.aahealth.org or by calling 410-222-7193. Nitrogen-reducing pretreatment units are designed to decrease nitrogen in wastewater and extend the life of a septic system. Reducing excess nitrogen from septic systems helps protect against algal blooms, low oxygen and fish kills.

Site 104 dumping may imperil critical fisheries and habitatWe at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation are concerned that The Sun's editorial about Site 104 ("Dredging up the truth on proposed dumping," Aug. 4) left readers with some misperceptions.The Sun is correct that the sediments the state proposes to dump at Site 104 near Kent Island do not come from the Baltimore harbor. But to suggest they pose no threat is misleading.Contaminated toxic material and nutrients are found in most bay sediments.

Q. Maybe I'm going crazy, but it seems as if little bits of leaves and twigs are walking around my evergreen shrubs. I do have a bagworm problem. Are these walking things that look like plant debris related to the bagworm bags?A. Yes, they are. The bagworm larvae that hatched this spring from last year's bags are actively feeding now. They're using the new silken bags -- covered with plant debris -- for protection.For minor infestation, handpick and destroy the bags. Apply the microbial insecticide B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis)

Q. I had to cut up three good-sized trees that broke apart in the ice storm a few weeks back. As a result, there is a lot of fresh sawdust in my yard. Will it hurt the grass? Can I compost it?A. Sawdust that completely covers the turf could smother and kill it. You can spread it out with a rake, but you will need to apply nitrogen fertilizer to the area in the spring because soil microbes will use up the existing nitrogen to break down the sawdust. This action could rob your turf of needed nitrogen.

BAYVILLE, N.Y. -- In another effort to clean up Long Island Sound, federal and state environmental officials have adopted a 15-year, $650 million plan to upgrade sewage treatment plants along the New York and Connecticut shoreline.The plan seeks to reduce nitrogen discharges that have been directly linked to a reduced level of dissolved oxygen in the sound, which harms fish, lobsters and shellfish and the small organisms they feed on.The project was approved unanimously at a recent meeting of the Long Island Sound Policy Committee in Manhattan.

State's efforts on Chesapeake right on targetDuring debate of proposals for Maryland farmers to implement mandatory nutrient-management plans, the media have failed to provide the public with an accurate view of the success of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program.There has been considerable misinformation about Maryland's successful efforts to reduce the flow of harmful nitrogen and phosphorus into the bay by 40 percent by 2000, a goal adopted in 1987.Claims that "a voluntary program won't work," as made by Barry Rascovar in his Jan. 25 column, are unfounded.

Q. My wife and kids have persuaded me to give up using ZTC pesticides on our lawn and in the vegetable garden. What should I do with all the partially used containers of pesticides I've accumulated? My brother will take some of them, but they've been in our shed for three to five years and I don't know if they still work.A.Contact your city or county office of recycling or your local landfill to find out about sites for dropping off household hazardous waste.Pesticides do lose their effectiveness over time, especially when stored at very high or very low temperatures.

The state Board of Public Works awarded Westminster a $925,000 grant yesterday to upgrade the city's wastewater treatment plant.The funds will be disbursed by the Maryland Department of the Environment to help pay for a new wastewater tank, called a clarifier, and for modifications to the city's existing tanks, said Quentin Banks, spokesman for the agency.The new technology will remove biological nutrients from the 5 million gallons of sewage treated there daily, using microbes to convert nitrogen in the water to an inert gas. Work on the upgrade is scheduled to begin this fall.

A DECADE ago, the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort was gearing up for a formidable task -- reducing polluted runoff from fertilizer and manure by 40 percent on tens of millions of farmland acres draining to the bay.The goal was to do it by 2000, and possibly no one familiar with the scope of the problem thought it would all be done by then.But hopes were higher in a few "targeted watersheds," small subsets of the vast, 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake watershed. There, intensive planning, monitoring and restoration would showcase what could be done ideally.

THE BILL EMERGING from the House Environmental Matters Committee on control of agricultural runoff pollution is a good compromise on a contentious issue. It shows understanding for farmers, yet reflects the reality that strong steps must be taken to protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.Originally the bill, sponsored by Chairman Ron Guns, a Cecil County Democrat, would have retained the system of voluntary control of nutrient pollution. Mr. Guns, an ardent defender of the farming community, pitted himself against Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who wants mandatory plans to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, which causes harmful, oxygen-destroying algae blooms in the bay and is suspected of provoking toxic Pfiesteria outbreaks in bay tributaries.

With Memorial Day signaling the start of the summer driving season, you'll be hearing about how to save money on gasoline. While tips are plentiful, some are better than others. And there are some you might not have heard before. Here is a quiz: The No. 1 way to save is to change your driving habits.: True. This tip blows away all the others. On the highway, try driving at 55-60 mph. Every 5 mph over 60 is like paying an extra 25 cents per gallon, according to government estimates. Even on a lengthy commute, driving faster gets you there only a few minutes sooner.

A three-year, $100 million effort to cut levels of nutrients coming from Howard County's wastewater treatment plant in Savage got under way Thursday with a ceremonial groundbreaking. More than five years in the planning, the project will use waste from a nearby ice cream plant to help produce enough bacteria to sharply reduce the nitrogen being emitted with wastewater from 3,900 pounds a day now, to 830 pounds per day in 2012, when the work is completed. Reuse of some treated water will also help by diverting it from the Patuxent River.

Few saw it coming, but the General Assembly approved a sleeper environmental bill that will require thousands of homes in Maryland to install more costly nitrogen-removing septic systems to keep the polluting nutrient out of rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Bay advocates are hailing the septic legislation's passage as a significant boost for the beleaguered Chesapeake, coming as it did near the end of a legislative session dominated by budget woes....

Moving to correct a major water pollution problem in some portions of the Chesapeake Bay, the Maryland Senate agreed Monday to require nitrogen-removing technology on all new or replacement household septic systems near the shoreline. Under the bill, which was narrowly approved, the state would cover the extra cost of replacing a failing septic system with an enhanced one capable of removing nitrogen from household wastewater. But homebuyers would have to bear the added cost of about $5,600 for an enhanced system when building a house along the shore.

Although County Council members and environmentalists encourage homeowners in Anne Arundel's critical areas and bogs to upgrade their septic tanks, the move won't be required after the council rejected a bill that would force homeowners in those areas to install nitrogen-reducing septic systems to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Five of the council's seven members voted Monday against the bill - including one of the bill's co-sponsors, Ronald...

Anne Arundel County Council members are weighing whether to require homeowners to install a new, more expensive nitrogen-reducing septic system when making upgrades or repairs to their septic tanks. On Monday, council members approved, by a 5-2 vote, an amendment to the bill that would require the new septic tanks only in bogs and critical areas, land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters. The bill had extended the requirement outside those areas, but that language was removed because council members were concerned about the amount of state money available to reimburse homeowners, said Democratic Councilman Jamie Benoit of Crownsville.

For those who monitor the health of the Chesapeake Bay, here's the latest discouraging water quality indicator: 340. That's the paltry number of eligible Maryland homeowners who have chosen to upgrade their septic systems with nitrogen-removal technology under a 2-year-old, state-funded program that underwrites 100 percent of the costs up to $10,000 each. The bottom line? The Maryland Department of the Environment can't seem to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to help correct a serious water quality problem in this state.

BENEDICT - Walter Boynton knows all there is to know about the Patuxent River - how to find its guts and marshes, where it shifts from suburban stream into bay-like vastness, when the tide is slack and when it rises. But you don't need to be a University of Maryland biologist to see that the river is in trouble. As Boynton steers his boat underneath the Route 231 bridge near this Charles County town, a thin white film covers the water - part of a miles-long algae bloom. He lifts a dredge from the water to examine a sample of the bottom.

We all learned the same Thanksgiving story in grade school: The Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, which kept the settlers from starving. The Indians' secret? Plant the seed corn with a fish head. Fish as fertilizer is making a comeback of sorts. Gardeners are realizing that it is valuable because of its unusually high nitrogen content. You just have to get past the smell. That's what stopped me. When I tried to use fish emulsion a couple of summers ago, one whiff of the concentrate made my stomach lurch.

My compost pile smells. It never did before. I've been adding table scraps (no meat or dairy products), plus grass and weeds. Unpleasant odor can be caused by too much nitrogen (green/fresh plant material) or too much water and not enough air. Since all your materials are "green," balance them with "brown" materials, which are high in carbon. Such items include dead dried leaves, sawdust and straw. You can use shredded newspaper, too, but go lightly. If you've been watering the pile, cut back on that.