JS Online:Turf war: "Whitefish Bay is a sidewalk community," Joyce said. "That's why we moved here. We breathe in these chemicals. We drag them into our houses on our shoes."
Eighty miles away, Dane County and the City of Madison adopted ordinances in 2004 banning lawn care products that contain phosphorus.
Brett Hulsey, a Dane County supervisor and chairman of the county's Lakes and Watershed Commission, said the ban was prompted by health and environmental concerns.
"Three or four years ago, a young man died after swimming in a pond on a golf course that was filled with blue-green algae," Hulsey said, adding that the growth of the algae was associated with the use of fertilizers containing phosphorous.
"Then two or three years ago, a dog died after getting in the same stuff. If a dog - an animal that drinks out of your toilet - dies after swimming in a lake, you have a problem."