(1) The following shall apply to Phosphorus
Containing Fertilizer:
(a) No Person may
purchase and apply, or authorize any Person, by way of service contract or
other arrangement, to apply any Phosphorus Containing Fertilizer on
Non-agricultural Turf or Lawns except under the following conditions:
1. Soil Test, taken not more than three years
before the application, indicates that additional phosphorus is needed for
growth; or
2. The Phosphorus
Containing Fertilizer is used to establish new Lawn or new Non-agricultural
Turf area.
A new Lawn or Non-agricultural Turf area shall be defined as
bare ground or as part of a Renovation. The use of phosphorus for these
purposes shall be limited to the first growing season.
(2) The following shall
apply to Animal Manure, Fertilizer, Organic Compost, Natural Organic
Fertilizer, Biosolids, Agricultural Byproducts, Digestate, or combination
thereof:
(a) The amount of nitrogen and
phosphorus must be known and accounted for;
(b) A Soil Test is taken prior to the initial
application;
(c) Application of
these materials shall not exceed the maintenance phosphorus rates for
Non-agricultural Turf or Lawn as specified in UMass
Guidelines; and
(d) The
requirement in 330 CMR 31.05(2)(a), (b), and (c) shall not apply to:
1. A single application made within a 12
month period at an application rate not to exceed 0.25lbs of
P2O5 per 1,000 square feet;
or
2. Any product used containing
0.67% or less available
P2O5.
(3) In addition to the
requirements of
330 CMR 31.00, any
application of Biosolids to Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns shall comply with
the requirements of
310 CMR 32.00: Land
Application of Sludge and Septage.
(4) For applications of Plant Nutrients,
including Phosphorus Containing Fertilizer, to Non-agricultural Turf and Lawns,
no applications shall be made:
(a) To Frozen
Soil, Snow Covered Soil, Saturated Soil, Frequently Flooded Soils, or soils
when flooding is expected. An expectation of flooding includes, but is not
limited to a prediction of Heavy Rain;
(b) Within 20 feet of Surface Waters, if
using a broadcast application method,
(c) Within ten feet of Surface Waters, if
using a drop spreader or rotary spreader with a deflector or a targeted
spray;
(d) Within a Zone I of a
Public Water Supply Well;
(e)
Within 100 feet of Surface Waters that are used for public water
supplies;
(f) In an amount that is
inconsistent with the annual recommended rate established by the UMass
Guidelines for turf;
(g)
To any Impervious Surface, including parking lots, roadways, and sidewalks, by
means of direct application, spills, overspray, or run-off to impervious areas;
1. if such direct application, spills,
overspray, or run-off occurs, the product material must be cleaned completely
from the surface and be either:
2.
contained or disposed of legally; or
3. applied to Non-agricultural Turf or Lawn
as allowed.
(h) For the
purpose of de-icing Impervious Surfaces; or
(i) To drought dormant, cold dormant,
inactive or otherwise brown turf.
(5) Should UMass Guidelines
not be available when referenced in
330 CMR 31.00, the applicator
or operator must follow the equivalent extension service standards or standard
industry practices until such time that UMass Guidelines
become available.
