H-0607.2  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1505

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representatives G. Chandler and Linville

Read first time 01/29/2001.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.

Testing soil prior to fertilizer applications in urban areas.

    AN ACT Relating to soil testing prior to fertilizer applications in urban areas; and adding a new section to chapter 15.54 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 15.54 RCW to read as follows:

    It is unlawful for any person to apply a commercial fertilizer or to supervise directly the application of a commercial fertilizer to the soils of any parcel of land within an urban area to produce, maintain, or enhance plants or plant growth unless a sufficient number of soil samples have first been taken and tested to characterize generally the levels of plant nutrients present in the soils on the parcel without the application.  Such a characterization of the soil nutrients shall be required for applications to such a parcel not more than once each calendar year.  This section does not apply to applications of fertilizer to soils that are contained in pots, planters, or similar devices separated from ground soil and not designed to drain to ground soil.

    For the purposes of this section, "urban area" means an urban growth area designated under RCW 36.70A.110 with a population of five hundred thousand or more or, in a county not planning under chapter 36.70A RCW, a city with a population of five hundred thousand or more.

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