Environmentally Friendly Advice to Protect Our Environment

The following Tips are being provided to all Soil Testing Program participants by the Candlewood Watershed Initiative to urge that if fertilizers are applied, they be used sparingly to help ensure our beautifully blue, healthy lakes and streams are not transformed into nutrient-laden, green water bodies, inhospitable to plant, animal and even human life.

Thanks for participating in the Soil Testing Program designed to help protect our valuable yet vulnerable environment. The Candlewood Lake Watershed is home to one of the premier water bodies in the Northeast – designated a ‘Connecticut Crown Jewel.’

It is ringed with mountains, roads, storm drains and streams that ‘shed’ runoff into our Lake, and because of its natural beauty and recreational blessings, it is host to thousands of lucky residents, Lake enthusiasts, and envious visitors.

As a consequence, our Watershed is fragile and Candlewood Lake is at increasing risk – unless we are smart, sensitive, safe and sparing in what we apply to these lands and allow in our waters.

Prevention is key to protection. As the Watershed’s custodians, please follow these Tips to sustain a healthy and vibrant Candlewood environment to benefit this and future generations:

• Understand your property’s & neighborhood’s topography and the inherent runoff risks
• Take advantage of available landscaping options as lawn replacements or supplements
• Carefully consider the need and merits of fertilizing vs. the possible consequences
• Realize that our waters and lands can be forever damaged by insensitive applications
• Test your soil first to see if fertilizing is necessary and which nutrients to add
• Avoid applying phosphorus, which is now restricted in CT to protect our waters
• Limit fertilizer applications to the minimum required to avoid environmental damage
• Realize that excess fertilizer can make your lawn susceptible to diseases and pests
• Use drop vs. broadcast spreaders to manage and control the dispersion of fertilizers
• Avoid fertilizing when rain and wind storms are forecast that could carry off nutrients
• When applying fertilizers and pesticides stay clear of water bodies, pavements and drains
• Sweep up any excess fertilizer that falls on pavements and other impervious surfaces
• Reassess the merits of expansive lawns, consider adding buffers and natural barriers
• Avoid multi-step lawn care programs that risk over-application of fertilizers and pesticides
• Introduce lake-friendly trees and bushes to create a canopy and retard water flows
• Look for smart ways to retain and utilize rain water and to prevent runoff and erosion.

Serve as a steward of this special, magical place called the Candlewood Lake Watershed –and live to enjoy, respect, and protect these valued lakes, streams and lands entrusted to our safe keeping.