Best Management Practice Certification

To meet 2011 requirements, I am required to have completed (and receive a certificate) a course in best management practices (BMP) for protection of water resources. That is a formal way of saying another layer of regulation has been placed on an already heavily regulated industry. The irony is that I, because of my education and a profit motivated business model, already meet or exceed the standards and practices for best management practices.

The Duplicity of the Fertilizer Ordinances

Did you get that? They are regulating an already self regulated industry. Professional lawn spraying companies by the knowledge they have and the motivation of profit do not mismanage lawns and landscapes. To add excess nitrogen or waste fertilizer on sidewalks is contrary to both my education and my business model. I am in compliance with the BMP (mostly).

The Emperor’s New Clothes

On one point I am in disagreement with the best management practices: 10’ setback from water’s edge. The water’s edge is a fragile and delicate area that requires careful management or it will be unstable and will erode (soil erosion). In the BMP course we were shown a photo of a beautiful home with 70’ of lush thick lawn on a gentle slope to the water’s edge. “What this house needs is a 10’ buffer around the water’s edge” decried the instructor. “Forgive me for disagreeing”, I replied “But it has 70’ of the finest buffer known to man already – the lawn!” Her expression was shock! I had managed to reveal the “Emperor had no clothes” by pointing to the obvious.

The Good, the Bad and the Bureaucrat

The certification program has some merit. It does make it difficult for new comers to startup businesses and will eliminate the marginal companies reducing competition. It also gives validity to professional practices already in use. The bureaucrats are quick to point out too, that this extra certification means that my services are worth more. For me, it is an added expense that I will have to pass on to my customers – so in the end the customer pays more for the same service but bureaucrats get the money to regulate (hidden tax).

Conclusion

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Publication: “University studies throughout the country, including Florida, have shown that properly managed turf grass and landscapes do not significantly contribute to nonpoint source pollution”.[1] Properly managed lawns and landscapes is the goal of every lawn spraying company!

[1] Florida Friendly Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources by the Green Industry. Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2008