Homeowners who live near bodies of water in the state of New Hampshire are asked to check all home cleaning products to make sure they do not contain phosphates. Why was this regulation put in place?

Answer 1

Phosphate is a limiting nutrient. Too much phosphate can create severe algal blooms. When these blooms die off they settle to the bottom of a lake, stream, or estuary where they decompose. The process of decomposition by bacteria uses up the dissolved oxygen causing fish kills. This process is known as artificial eutrophication (human caused).