The EE Sampler - Jefferson County Public Schools

Farming v. Fishing? Is One Industry Literally Killing the Other?
By Kim Nelson
In order to produce more and better crops, farmers around the world have been using
fertilizers since ancient times. Modern fertilizers contain the nutrients Potassium and Nitrogen,
which help plants grow healthy and strong, producing more food than the same plants would
without such fertilizers. Unfortunately, if these fertilizers are over applied, or are applied
immediately prior to rainfall, many of the nutrients end up in our streams and rivers from
rainwater runoff instead of staying on the field. Even when correctly applied, some of the
nutrients find their way to our water.
This is unfortunate because the nutrients are good for plants, not fish. Even though fish
feed on plants, there is such a thing as too much. Algae is at the bottom of many aquatic food
chains, but when an algae bloom covers the top of an entire lake or slow moving stream, fish
cannot get the oxygen they need and the algae blocks out the sun, making the water colder than
the fish can handle. Occasionally such overloading of nutrients and algae blooms can cause fish
kills, where the poor conditions last so long the fish cannot live through them.
Jefferson County has done, and is doing, a lot to reduce the amount of excess nutrients
entering our water. Currently the county is working on redirecting the Combined Sewage
Overflows, which occur when a lot of rainwater overflows our sewage system to the point where
some of the rainwater and raw sewage flows out into our streams, eventually leading to the Ohio
River. However, we are only a small part of the water going into the Ohio River, and the Ohio
runs into the Mississippi River along with rivers from other parts of the United States. Where
the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, there is a dead zone where fish cannot
survive. Though overloading of nutrients is not the only problem in the Gulf of Mexico, and we
are not the only area contributing to this water pollution, there are things we can each do to help
the fish in the Gulf, where fishing is a major industry for local people.
If everybody, farmers or just people with a garden or yard full of grass, follows
instructions for the amount of fertilizer to apply for their circumstances, and only use it as often
as recommended, this would reduce the amount of excess nutrients available to run off into our
streams and lakes. Fertilizer companies do extensive testing to ensure their recommendations
allow for best use of their product, so there is no need to apply more or more often than the
packaging directs. Though this may not seem like much when each person changes their routine
just a little bit, the combined efforts of everybody involved can make a big difference.
Somebody needs to set the example for others to follow, and that somebody can be us in
Jefferson and surrounding, more agricultural, counties in Kentucky. If others living along the
Mississippi River or its tributaries do the same, the dead zone will shrink, allowing fish to move
back in while not affecting farming or people's green lawns negatively.
Helping to alleviate the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is only one example of how
small changes in everyday life for each of us can add up to big results. Simple things like
recycling the daily newspaper, turning off the lights when leaving home, or doing laundry only
when a full load is needed, can make a noticeable difference if everybody puts forth the effort.
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