With 35 to 50 percent of phosphorus pollution in New York coming from fertilizers and detergents, our Long Island Water Sentinels knew they had to take action. The Sentinels gathered water-quality data for public education purposes that showed alarming phosphorus levels. Seeing these results prompted Assemblyman Bob Sweeney and Senator Antoine Thompson to introduce a new bill calling for stricter phosphorus standards for water. Our Atlantic Chapter volunteers championed and helped to pass the bill. The new phosphorus law severely reduces the amounts of phosphorous found in household cleansers, dishwashing detergents, and cleansing products to less than one percent. New York becomes the 17th state to clamp down on phosphorus pollution, which impairs drinking water quality and creates dead ocean zones from eutrophication or excessive, unbalanced nutrient build-up. To read more, visit Sierra Club's Grassroots Scrapbook article. (Photo: Water Sentinels volunteer leader Linda Freilich with Assemblyman Sweeney.)