VRFireRetardant
VRFireRetardant t1_jaa2cvd wrote
Reply to comment by Archaris in ELI5: Why is it that when fertilizers make their way into waterways, all the oxygen disappears, killing the fish? by Psychological-Dog994
There often are laws and regulations around spreading and even for riparian zones (vegetation next to streams). The places with a lack of regulations for this are often the places nutrient run off is a signifcant issue in watersheds. A lot of the monitoring for my area is done by local watershed conservation groups who share their data with other authorities or authorities in their organization. They often work together with policy makers to find a good balance for the watershed and the economy.
VRFireRetardant t1_ja9nku9 wrote
Reply to comment by patienceisfun2018 in ELI5: Why is it that when fertilizers make their way into waterways, all the oxygen disappears, killing the fish? by Psychological-Dog994
The best preventions for excess fetilizer runoff are
Not using more than needed
Not spreading during wet weather
Ensuring creeks and streams next to the fields are well vegetated around the sides to slow the runoff, absorb nutrients, and slow the water in the creek which slows down the nutrients that do still get in.
There are other more complicsted methods but most follow those guidelines.
VRFireRetardant t1_jaav27f wrote
Reply to comment by patienceisfun2018 in ELI5: Why is it that when fertilizers make their way into waterways, all the oxygen disappears, killing the fish? by Psychological-Dog994
Nutrient clean up is incredibly hard. The life in the water uses the nutrients quickly and exponentially multiply. Watershed restoration can help reduce impacts by increasing wetland and stream health and allowing these ecosystems to take up more nutirents before they enter the lake or ocean. These strategies can take a few years to fully reestablish and must be protected and maintained from invasive species or erosion removing the vegetated portions.