Drug Enforcement Administration to Collect Prescription Drugs

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will conduct a nationwide prescription drug collection on Saturday, September 26, 2015 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Collections will be held at many locations around New York and are the best way to dispose of unused and unwanted prescription drugs.  Collection locations in New York can be found on DEA’s National Take Back Initiative webpage.

For more information about drugs in water and DEC’s work to keep drugs out of our water, visit DEC’S Drugs in New York’s Waters webpage.

Reminder: Look for the “0” when buying lawn fertilizer

If you plan to fertilize your lawn this fall, remember that New York has a state law that restricts the use of lawn fertilizers that contain phosphorus.  Before buying, check the fertilizer bag for a set of three numbers showing the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.  Buy a bag with a “0” in the middle, indicating that there is no phosphorus in that product. The law does not apply to agricultural fertilizer or fertilizer for gardens.

Retailers that sell lawn fertilizers are also reminded that they must display phosphorus fertilizers separately from phosphorus-free fertilizers and to display an educational sign for customers. 

To learn about other requirements of the Dishwasher Detergent and Nutrient Runoff Law, visit DEC’s webpage. Check local laws, too.  Some municipalities have stricter laws about selling and using lawn fertilizers. 

Phosphorus Can Cause Serious Problems

Excess phosphorus in freshwater lakes and ponds can cause algae overgrowth, with serious impacts to the environment and public health. 

Blue-Green Algal Bloom Notices

New information about lakes with blue-green algae bloom notices has been posted today, September 25, on the DEC Blue-Green Algal Bloom Notices webpage.

This week, 8 waterbodies were added to the notification list, and blooms were reported in several locations in the state. This information is provided from about 165 waterbodies sampled in the last two to three weeks by DEC monitoring programs, volunteers and public reports.

Because waterbodies may have blue-green algae blooms that have not been reported to DEC, we recommend avoiding contact with floating rafts, scums and discolored water – If you see it, avoid it and report it!

Report a suspected bloom