Falmouth’s Win for Clean Water

If Casco Bay could talk, it would say thank you to the citizens of Falmouth, who voted to uphold their town’s pesticide and fertilizer ordinance. Falmouth developed the ordinance over several years of study and with considerable public input.

On election day, Falmouth citizens were given the choice to overturn the ordinance. Instead, by a healthy margin, they voted to keep it. By doing so, they chose to use lawn care that doesn’t put our kids, pets, or local waters at risk.

The Falmouth Town Council passed the ordinance earlier this year in response to the well-documented risks posed by toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Friends of Casco Bay contributed data that showed fertilizer and pesticide loads in local waters and supported the ordinance. We asked our members in the town to support it too. 

With the vote, Falmouth joins Harpswell, Portland, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth in adopting similar ordinances. These efforts are encouraging other municipalities in the Casco Bay watershed to work on their own ordinances.

Through our BayScaping program, Friends of Casco Bay has long supported lawn care practices that protect coastal waters. Ecological, scientifically-based techniques create healthier soil, keep toxic chemicals out of the Bay, protect public health, and save money in the long run. 

Municipal fertilizer and pesticide ordinances are among the best ways to reduce toxic and harmful runoff to our waters. Protections like Falmouth enacted help keep toxins out of waters that can kill or harm aquatic life, affect human health, and degrade habitat. They also keep out fertilizers, which can fuel excessive algal growth that smothers clam flats, harms eelgrass beds, and contributes to coastal acidification.

We are grateful to Falmouth voters for the grassroots effort that preserved this common-sense ordinance and supported the resilience of Casco Bay. 

With appreciation,