
Pleasant Bay. CapeCod.com
HYANNIS – Barnstable County officials have given their approval for two Home Rule Petitions submitted by the Town of Orleans that aim to regulate fertilizer and pesticide use.
Commissioner Mark Forest said that fertilizer management is a persistent concern for local water bodies, having impacted the Pleasant Bay watershed for years.
The second petition was approved at Orleans Fall Special Town Meeting, which aims to reduce the use of pesticides on public and private property within the town. It would ban only the pesticides that are most harmful to the local environment, according to the initial petition.
The Association to Preserve Cape Cod has said that stormwater runoff washing chemicals into local water bodies is one of the major components of the Cape’s failing water quality.