Green Suffocation

Algae chokes the water of a swamp in my town.

     Greener lawns create greener water.
     Every summer, algae grows in a swamp near my home. The surface of the water becomes chocked in green. When the algae decomposes, oxygen is sucked from the water.
     Fish suffocate.
     Homeowners are causing the problem. They use fertilizers containing high levels of phosphorus. Their lawns appear lush. The greenness comes at a cost. Phosphorus leaches into the swamp.
    Other aquatic creatures are suffering. Snakes are rarely seen anymore. Less frogs are heard croaking than during previous years. This trend coincides with an increase in housing development. More homes, more lawns, more fertilizer, more algae.
     I use a fertilizer with little phosphate. The impact is noticeable. My lawn isn't as lush as it could be. That's okay. I'm not hurting those those critters in the swamp.
    Here in suburbia, folks take pride in their lawns. The greener the better.
    Except greener isn't better. I'm hopeful that attitudes will change over the use--or misuse--of fertilizer.
     In the meantime, vanity is killing fish.

Snake swims through algae during July.