Locals residents should consider switching to phosphate-free dishwashing

Tag : Detergent
Phosphate-free dishwater detergents are now widely available inUtah County, and the group is hoping residents will choose to usethem today instead of waiting until 2010 in order to help UtahLake, said Laura Snow, chairwoman of the water issue committee ofthe Utah Valley Sierra Forum.
"We are interested in voluntary support from our residents andbusinesses in Utah Valley in order to reduce phosphorus flow intoUtah Lake by using phosphate-free automatic dishwasher detergentsbecause our lake is polluted and impaired," Snow said.
The state has said high phosphorus levels are causing algae blooms,which in turn cause dead zones in the lake. The phosphorus comesmainly from human waste discharged in the lake from sewage plants,as well as soap and fertilizer.
Sponsors of the state law banning phosphates in dishwasher soap in2010 estimated this step alone would reduce 3 to 5 percent of thephosphorus flowing into lakes around the state.
The north county sewer treatment plant is the only sewer facilityin Utah Valley that has voluntarily begun filtering some phosphorusfrom treated sewage before discharging it into Utah Lake. Othersewer plants around the county have said they will not spend moneyto remove phosphorus until they know how much they will be forcedto remove by federal sanctions as a result of ongoing pollutionstudies in Utah Lake.
But those results could still be years away. In the meantime, thelake gets more polluted each day, said Utah Valley Sierra Forummembers. Residents, schools, churches, businesses and industry canimmediately begin to change that by voluntarily switching the kindof dishwasher soap they use.
Utah Valley has been called the No. 1 county in the nation when itcomes to volunteering.
"Let's apply that volunteer spirit to clean up the mess in UtahLake," said Jim Westwater, founder of the forum. "Let's getinvolved. Let's switch from phosphate cleaning products."
"We would like to become the first community in Utah, if not thecountry, to attain voluntary phosphorus containment," said MarshaMcLean of the Sierra Forum.
There is another compelling reason to ask this of residents, Snowsaid.
To meet federal endangered species requirements for the Junesucker, one of the most endangered fish in the world, localagencies are mounting a massive effort to remove carp from UtahLake. Ironically, carp have been stirring up mud in the lake fordecades, clouding the water and in turn keeping sunlight fromexploding the size of existing algae blooms in the lake eachsummer.
Snow said that while getting rid of the carp is vital to restoringthe lake's natural ecosystem, the effort would cause clearer water,which could allow the algae blooms to mushroom in a way they neverhave before.
For that reason alone, local residents should consider switching tophosphate-free dishwashing detergent, Snow said.
The detergent is now readily available in local stores and in somecases is cheaper than traditional dishwashing soap.
"I think we can make a difference in the health of our lake," Snowsaid.
The effort could feasibly help reduce lake stink as well, saidWestwater.
Snow said the group has contacted both the new Utah Lake Commissionand local sewage treatment plants in an effort to research how muchof the phosphorus comes from local universities, industry,agriculture, human waste and other sources. The more that is knownabout the problem, the more that can be done to solve it, she said.
"What we have found is that there is very little knowledge of wherethe phosphorus is coming from and what percentage is attributed toeach source," Westwater said.