How does phosphorous affect our streams?
Excessive levels of this nutrient can fertilize our streams. This leads to nuisance plant growth and unsightly and smelly streams and ponds that cannot support fish and other aquatic life.
What can I do to help?
One way to prevent excessive levels of this nutrient from entering our streams is to reduce the amount we use in our daily lives. Using low phosphate/no phosphate fertilizers and cleaning products helps. Properly maintaining your septic system, keeping yard debris away from stream edges and storm drains, and properly disposing of pet wastes also reduces sources of phosphate to our streams.
Aren't all automatic dishwashing products created equal?
Unlike most laundry products, most automatic dishwashing products still contain phosphorous in the form of phosphate. But the phosphate content varies from product to product. You can help our streams by choosing to use low phosphate or no phosphate products.
Phosphate Content of Automatic Dishwashing Products
|
Brand |
Phosphate Content (%) |
Phosphate Content
|
|
Phosphate Free Products |
|
|
|
Seventh Generation Powder |
0% |
Phosphate free/Chlorine Free |
|
Shaklee Basic-D Concentrate |
0% |
Phosphate free/Chlorine Free |
|
Products containing phosphates |
|
|
| Gels |
|
|
|
Palmolive Gel |
2% |
0.8 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Sunlight Gel |
4.3% |
1.66 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Cascade Gel |
4.4% |
1.8 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Electrasol Gel |
4.5% |
1.8 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Powders |
|
|
|
All Powder |
5.1% |
1.4 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Sunlight Powder |
5.6% |
1.5 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Electrasol with Baking Powder |
6.1% |
1.6 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Cascade Powder |
6.5% |
2 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Cascade Plus Powder |
7.0% |
2.14 g/2 Tbsp* |
|
Tabs |
|
|
|
Electrosol Tabs |
8.7% |
2.09g/Tablet |
|
Sunlight Tabs |
8.7% |
2.18g/Tablet |
*Use level has been standardized to 2 Tablespoons for comparison. You will save money, as well as help out our streams, by using a smaller amount.
|
