Wow. Okay, I'm still digesting this one, but KGMI top-O-the-hour news just reported that in June, dish soap containing more than one half of one percent phosphorus will be banned.

Friends, I'm all for protecting and cleaning up the lake, but this is just over the top. I suspect the line of thinking is, people wash their dishes, and the water from this washing is exported to their septic tank, and from there, released to the ground where at some point it may make its way to the lake. But come on... One half of one percent?

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Well, Dexter, I think what will end up happening here is not so much that you and I will be prohibited from using it, so much as the markets will be forbidden to shelve and sell it, which means no use whether one lives in the watershed or not. So we will have to purchase "special blends" (think automotive fuel) of dish washing detergent, and of course this will cost more.

"Oh, it's May. We can switch from the Winter to the Summer blend of non-phosphoric Electrosol, honey!"

Up next - Environmental groups call for low nitrogen content in automotive tires. Details at 11:00.

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Damon,
Instead of hooting and hollering about soap, which does seem a bit like picturing a committee of do-gooders in their monthly meeting saying, "what can we ban next, oh; I know, soap phosphorus". What we could be doing here is asking people that live in the watershed to buy phosphorus free fertilizer and use it exclusively on their lawns. That run off goes directly down hill to the lake and is a major source of the problem of over phosphorus in the lake. Additionally, May 10, the City will have a truck at Bloedel Donovan and will accept banned fertilizer, oil based paints, pesticides and other harmful products that should not live in our watershed. There is so much that could be done to help protect this lake by those of us that live in the watershed and asking for help and telling people what they can do is so much more productive, but admittedly not as much fun as hand wringing and point at the silly rule makers. So, how about it, can we ask people not to wash their cars in the watershed and get rid of old fertilizers, and other bad stuff that sits in our garage and garden shed shelves? There is much to do and it's not all up to the governments to do it.

Sure Stan. This place is open for anyone to post anything they wish, within the guidelines of the forum. You're free, at any time, to post a lengthy list of activities you would like to encourage people to engage in, or avoid.

I'm just responding to what was in the news a couple of days ago, and it strikes me as petty for you to figuratively slap my hands for doing so. I didn't make the news. I'm simply responding to it.

Neither am I hand-wringing, as you assert. Nor am I hooting and hollering. I'm incredulous at what strikes me as an astounding encroachment into personal choice. In fact, I believe once you completed launching your opening salvo, you buttressed my point with your next statement:



Is your point not that there are much more pressing issues? I believe it is! And isn't that my point as well? Here we have a law coming in June, a LAW Stan, that says we can no longer use dish soap that contains more than one half of one percent phosphorus. Stan, that had to be discussed in committee, debated, argued, and voted on. It is absurd, and we both know it. You are arguing MY POINT.



Hallelujah, brother! We're going to make a conservative out of you yet!

It is not up to the governments to do it, and I don't want them doing it. The less government is involved in my private affairs, the better. I want government to provide for the common defense, infrastructure and to protect the citizenry in the enjoyment of life, liberty and property. Not much else, beyond that, so stripping the phosphorus out of my soap is not a part of that.

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DEXTER TO THE RESCUE!
I have a solution for the dish detergent ban.
1) We make it mandatory to use only paper plates, styrofoam cups and plastic utensils.
2) We make burn barrels mandatory
3) we burn all of our plates, cups and plastic utensils.

This solves several problems:
1) No phosphorus leaking into the lake
2) No one has to do the dishes
3) We prevent the next ice age by burning styrofoam, and plastic.

My fee for this consultation.... No Charge.

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You better laugh at yourself,
Everyone else is.

www.parkenfarkergroup.blogspot.com

well, the efects of this assinign legislation are now being seen as all the shelves around the county have been thouroughly stripped of any useful dish detergent. You now have a choice between the expensive cubes, or the even more expensive "green" detergent. I am thoroughly PISSED!!! I know it's only soap... but it is MY choice which soap I will use, not the government's. I am not going to pay almost double the price for half the amount of soap! I mean no disrespect to the County Council members or Executive Kremen or anyone else who voted for this, but this is beyond the limit for tolerability and anyone who voted for this is not deservant of serving in America. The Soviets would have given you a red star for your efforts however. It starts with one small step here, one small step there. It is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS which soap I choose to use!

Thanks for the info Stan. Like you I don't, in theory, have a problem with "green" products...when they work. But often times they don't work as well as what they were inteded to replace. Phosphorus is in dish soap for a reason. It's not as though the chemists who were developing the product were thinking "hey guys, I think we should add phosphorus to the soap just for giggles." What I hate is when govn't force us to use inferior products through laws and mandates. Take for instance Compact Florescent Lights or CFLs. In most of my experiences they suck! Not to mention the mercury vapor in them... but that's for another thread.