Marginals and marsh plants, particularly cattails, are very heavy nitrogen feeders and a healthy lake is at least one-third wetlands. Artificial lakes also lack the natural algaecide tannic acid produced by downed trees.
Although nitrogen toxicity began in the agricultural corn belt of the midwest, it has now spread nationwide. States like Texas is heavy in artificial lakes and nearly every one is now tinted green with some level of nitrogen toxicity.
The minimal impact of organic farming, unfortunately, is no longer good enough; there must be a zero impact if we are going to survive as a species and planet. There is only one classification of agriculture that is not adding to the pollution of lakes, groundwater or anything else, for that matter.
That would be hydroponic farms.
Hydroponic farms are completely self-contained growing environments in an artificial setting. Their fertilizers are all confined to a nutrient solution tank and don't leach anything.
Hydroponic farms don't contaminate any water source and leave a remarkably small carbon footprint. Given the advances in technology many hydroponic growers use the new, energy-efficient LED grow lights, which can easily be serviced with a simple DC-producing solar panel without the use of an AC inverter.
As a result, today's hydroponic growers are greener than ever and can easily operate completely off the grid.
In the 21st century, hydroponic farms are the most sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture you could engage in and no organic or conventional form of farming even comes close to achieving this.
Unfortunately, organic farming is as outdated as the Model-A and no longer the ideal in sustainability. We've gone beyond the tipping point--it's simply too late for organics to save the day.
Human kind's tremendous impact on the earth has forced us in a position to completely rethink what we consider "sustainable" agriculture. The reality is that the earth can no longer afford the loss of wild land to any type of farming--including organic. Additionally, the health of earth has degraded to the point where it can no longer recover from any contamination whether the source of this is organic or otherwise.
Because hydroponic growing is in a completely artificial environment where nutrients are recycled they leave a minimal impact on the earth.
Hydroponic farming is so efficient that it can produce more vegetables in a single greenhouse than even the best organic farm can on five or ten acres. It is estimated that hydroponic yields are 100 times that of even organic farms.
It manages this without the use of carbon-producing rototillers or tractors organic farms need to use.
Let's settle one of the main questions and the topic of heated debate in farming circles. Can hydroponic farming be organic? Of course not, even when utilizing an organic nutrient solution. But organic is no longer the yardstick that sustainability is measured by.
Organic farming isn't just a matter of avoiding synthetic fertilizers and is rather an entire process of good earth management.
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