Engineering Commons^™

Application Of Lawn Fertilizers And Pesticides In Salt Lake Valley Recharge Areas, Ghassan R. Musharrafieh, Larry Sager, Howard M. Deer, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Homeowners, chemical applicators, and commercial lawncare companies apply chemicals to lawns and ornamentals overlying the recharge zone of Salt Lake Valley's principal aquifer. These applied fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides can potentially leach far enough to contaminate ground water. This report summarizes a study conducted in 1993-1994 to determine the type, rate, and frequency of applying chemicals to lawns and ornamentals in the recharge zone. Surveyed are lawncare companies, chemical applicators, schools, churches, hospitals, parks, homeowners, and government documents and community and state regulations. Results will help assess the potential impact of these applications on future ground water quality.