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What You Can Do
Our water resources are vitally important to our health, to our economies, and to our senses.
You can help maintain and improve the quality of our lakes, streams, and groundwater by taking a few simple steps to
protect these critical resources.
1. Take the "Lake Friendly" Challenge
Learn what you can do at your home or business to protect water quality - participate in
the District's Lake Friendly projects! District staff will meet with you on-site to discuss ideas for lake-friendly
lawn care and property management. After the visit, you will receive 4 to 5 recommendations along with up to $100
in coupons to help you implement the suggestions. The whole process is completely confidential and voluntary,
and you don't have to live on the lake to participate!
2. Reduce Storm-water Runoff from Your Property
Water that runs off your yard and driveway eventually makes its way to the lake - often
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faster that you think! Along with adding to lake level increases, that water carries sediment, nutrients,
and other harmful chemicals into the lake. Any time you keep water where it falls, you prevent problems
downstream. Simple actions such as directing downspouts to grassy areas, aerating your lawn, or planting a
"rainwater garden" in a low area all add up to big improvements for our lakes and streams.
3. Practice Lake-Friendly Lawn Care
Our lawn care practices can have a big impact on the health of our lakes and streams. Using too
much fertilizer can send excess nutrients into lakes and streams (especially phosphorus, which causes algae blooms).
Grass clippings and leaves left on sidewalks and streets make their way to our lakes via storm sewers, where they
break down into algae-promoting nutrients. Here are some steps you can take in your yard to help protect and improve
our lakes:
- Mulch or compost grass clippings and leaves - keep them out of the streets, and out of our lakes!
- Use zero-phosphorus lawn fertilizer, and keep fertilizer off sidewalks, streets, and shorelines
- Maintain a healthy lawn - mow grass to a height of 2-3 inches, seed in the spring and fall, and aerate and de-thatch in the fall
- If you fertilize once a year, do so in the fall
- Use native plants in landscaping and along shorelines and remove invasive, non-native plants
4. Protect Shorelines, Waterways and Wetlands
Leave a natural (or at least an unfertilized) buffer of 15 to 25 feet along lakes, streams
and wetlands. This will reduce and filter runoff, deter geese, and keep chemical use away from the water. Many
new developments have designated buffer areas around wetlands and watercourses - look for signs marking the buffer
boundary and refrain from mowing, fertilizing, or dumping (lawn clippings, pet waste, etc.) in the buffer.
You may also be eligible for the District's filter strip and wetland protection program.
Many watershed residents can receive incentive payments for establishing filter strips along ditches and streams.
The District is also looking for opportunities to restore degraded wetlands and enhancing existing ones, and also
to purchase easements over wetland areas.
5. Properly Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste
Motor oil, gasoline, leftover paint and pesticides are all common household products that can
create big problems if they reach our lakes, streams, and wetlands. Fortunately, Scott County has a program for
properly disposing of these and other household hazardous wastes. Call 952-496-8652 or visit
http://www.co.scott.mn.us/xpedio/groups/public/documents/web_files/cs_cshouseholdhazardframe.hcsp
for drop-off locations and times. And remember, NEVER dispose of these materials in storm drains,
which do not lead to a treatment plant, but rather are connected to our lakes, streams and wetlands.
6. Get Involved!
Learn more about local efforts to protect and improve our water resources:
- Get involved in your lake association, sportsmen's/women's group, or community group and let them know you care
about the quality of our water resources and what we all can do to help protect them
- Take a shoreland management class from the University of Minnesota Extension Service
- Explore related web sites and printed materials
- Volunteer to monitor a local lake or stream
- Invite watershed District staff to provide a presentation at a meeting of your community organization
Stop by the Watershed District office for more information about our local water resources
and the District's activities, or come to a monthly Board Meeting to see
your District in action. We'd love to meet you and hear your ideas and concerns!
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