Local phosphorus bans precipitate global changes

It’s been nearly ten years since Liberty Lake squared off with Proctor & Gamble (P & G) over their 2005 resolution banning phosphorus in automatic dishwasher soap. Today the David and Goliath like encounter has proven Liberty Lake to be ahead of its time. The story starts in 1989 with phosphorus being discharged from Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District causing algae blooms in Liberty Lake.  To reduce phosphorus inflow to the plant, Liberty Lake passed one of the first laundry detergent bans in the nation. In 2005, they again led the way with a dish soap ban. P & G and others from the industry were not pleased. The soap industry feared a domino effect of others passing similar bans. And they were right. Liberty Lake’s efforts paved a path for Spokane and the state to implement similar measures. Today, 16 states have dish soap legislation and phosphorus is banned nationally in laundry detergent. Jeremy Jenkins, the current Water Resource and Lake Protection Manager, said that shortly after the statewide ban on automatic dish detergent went into effect in 2010 the amount of phosphates flowing into their treatment facility dropped 17%. Algae blooms once had such a strangle hold on the lake that people couldn’t see more than 4 inches into the water. Today, thanks to the ban and other mitigation efforts, a person can see 10-17 feet deep. Statewide, local representative Timm Ormsby introduced House Bill 2322, which limits the amount of phosphorus to 0.5% in dishwashing detergent. It took effect in Spokane in 2008, and has proven to be equally successful. Average phosphorus inflows at Spokane’s Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility (RPWRF) have dropped an average of 18.5% since the ban. “There’s no doubt there has been a significant and sustained reduction in phosphorus being discharged to RPWRF,” says Michael Coster, RPWRF operations manager.  Based on the data, “ It is logical to assume that the same sort of reduction is occurring for septic systems as well.” Septic drain fields are one of the non-point sources of high phosphate levels in the River.  Non-point sources are more difficult to address, and the ban appears to be making a positive impact. In 2011, Spokane led the way again when Governor Gregoire signed legislation reducing phosphorus in lawn fertilizer. Local state Senator Lisa Brown and state Representatives Andy Billig and Timm Ormsby worked along with Spokane Riverkeeper Bart Mihailovich and others to pass the bill. Today, efforts are taking place around the world to mitigate phosphate levels. Liberty Lake’s Jeremy Jenkins says he has received calls from people in Alaska and Oregon seeking to emulate their phosphate management practices. And Mihailovich sees the progress as indicative of big things to come, saying “Sometimes solving a water quality issue doesn’t mean settling a huge lawsuit, it can be as simple as addressing a single product or line of products that are having an impact on a river.” Can history repeat itself with PCBs and other contaminants affecting our river and aquifer system? Mihailovich thinks so. “The state just passed legislation to give state purchasing preference to completely PCB free products. The City of Spokane is testing to see what other consumer and industrial products have trace elements of PCBs entering our waterways. Our community can again be on the right side of history by keeping this stuff out of the environment to begin with.” Tonilee Hanson, who coordinates EnviroStars, agrees. “Whether it’s the river or aquifer, we need to be at the forefront of not only disposing of waste properly, but using alternatives to products with chemicals that can cause downstream problems.” Said Hanson, “When people say ‘what can we do,’ the right place to start is with how we use and handle waste at home and work. When people say ‘it’s too hard,’ I’m happy to point them to the phosphorus story. Kudos to Liberty Lake for their leadership.” And what’s Proctor & Gamble up to? They recently announced they will remove phosphorus from laundry detergent globally.