How can you help to protect and improve water quality? Even if you don't live on or near a lake, wetland, or creek (and especially if you do), there are many ways that you can protect and improve water quality without leaving home! |
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In older neighborhoods (pre mid 1980's), the storm drain goes directly from the street to the downstream water body without any kind of cleaning or other treatment. In newer neighborhoods, stormwater typically goes into a treatment pond, which is generally designed to remove about half the pollution that enters. |
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| Raingardens Lawn and Garden Care, Rainwater Harvest Shoreland/Streambanks Wetlands Porous Pavers Green Roofs Vegetated Swales Other LID Practices |
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| A raingarden is a landscaping feature that uses native perennial plants and to help manage stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces such as roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots. |
So how do they work? Raingardens are designed with a shallow depression, so that when stormwater runs off a street or parking lot, it pools in the garden. Because these gardens use native plants that have long root systems, more water can be absorbed into the ground than it could in just a regular lawn with sod. The soil in raingardens also serves as a filter for any pollutants that might be picked up as water runs down the street. |
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| Raingardens have become increasingly popular as an effective method of small-scale stormwater management. They are relatively easy to install, require little maintenance once established, they filter out pollutants from stormwater runoff, and best of all, are beautiful to look at! |
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2009 Metro Blooms Rain Garden Education Workshops MCWD and Metro Blooms partner together to bring more Rain Garden Workshops to the West Metro Area. The workshop will provide training on how to install a rain garden, a do-it-yourself mythology, and well know landscape ecologist Rusty Schmidt. For more information visit MCWD's Blue Thumb Page. |
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For more information on how to plant a raingarden or what types of plants are best, visit the following websites: |
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Can anything be more satisfying than a fertile carpet of green grass? Proper lawn care is essential to great water quality. If excessive fertilizer ends up in the street and storm sewers, it can create water quality problems. The same is true for lawn clippings, fallen leaves, and pesticides. When these materials wash into our waterways they bring with them excess nutrients and pollutants that can cause algae to bloom or damage water quality in other ways. So what then, is considered proper lawn care and how can you do it? |
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Most lawns don't need fertilizer, and pesticides can be harmful to children and pets. If you do use fertilizer, look for 0- phosphorus (it's the law in Minnesota!). The second number on the fertilizer mix needs to be 0. Always follow the directions on fertilizer and pesticide exactly. Grass clippings left on your lawn can reduce your need to use nitrogen fertilizer by 1/3 to 1/2 yearly. Mid to late October is the best time to fertilize your lawn. There are many ways to cut down on pesticide use in your flower and vegetable gardens, too. Integrated pest management is an ecosystem-based strategy that uses a variety of techniques to manage insects and diseases, while reducing the impacts of harmful chemicals on wildlife, people, and the environment. |
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When mowing your lawn, simply leave the grass clippings where they are. This acts as a natural fertilizer and reduces the need to add chemicals. |
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Be sure to keep an eye on where your grass clippings, leaves, pesticide and fertilizer end up. Make sure that they are swept up, not hosed off, so they do not blow into the street, because they'll end up downstream, causing problems in your local lake, wetland, or stream. |
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In most urban and suburban areas, your street connects to downstream lakes, wetlands, and streams through the storm sewer system. Water runs off your street and your yard rapidly through storm sewers carrying pollutants collected along the way, directly into our lakes and rivers. Remember, storm water is not treated like that sanitary sewer water before it reaches the local lakes, wetlands and streams. |
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Leaves in the street will eventually end up in the storm sewer system and thus into the local lake, wetland or stream. Rake leaves out of the street not into the street. Composing leaves is the preferred disposal method. If composting is not an option for you consider using fallen leaves as winter mulch around rose bushes and landscape plants. Another option is leaving the leaves on your lawn (if less than 2 inches of leaf cover), by making several passes over them with a power mower; the chopped leaves can stay on the lawn without causing damage to area lakes and streams. Finally, you can bag up your leaves for disposal by your municipality; most cities compost bagged leaves.In the fall, bag up excess organic debris (lawn clippings, leaves, etc) on your lawn. |
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When watering your garden, try using water from a rain barrel. Rain barrels typically sit under a drain spout and collect rain and runoff from the roof of your home. This water can then be recycled for lawn irrigation. |
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Most lawns do not need to be watered very frequently, unless extremely hot and dry conditions persist. The best time of day to water your lawn is from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Water loss due to evaporation drastically increases with higher temperature and increased wind. Avoid watering late into the the night it could encourage lawn diseases. To tell if your lawn needs watering note if the color has changed from a lively green to a duller gray green color and/or note if your footprints remain visible as you walk across your lawn. Gray green color and/or noticeable footprints means your lawn needs watering. |
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Generally good quality turf is 2-3 inches in height. Cutting grass shorter can weaken turf and invite pests and weeds. If your grass is particularly long, cut back gradually to reduce stress on the plants. |
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Fall is the best time to repair lawns. Try to complete any seeding activities by mid-September. |
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Pet waste can carry disease-causing bacteria that make water unsafe for swimming and drinking. Throw pet waste in the trash, flush it down the toilet or bury it. |
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The water, soap and dirt from your car when washed on paved areas flows through a storm drain to the area lake or stream. By washing your car on the lawn you not only water your grass, you allow the soil and plants to filter out the soap and dirt. |
For information on better lawn care, how to build or where to purchase a rain barrel, use the following links: |
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Shorelines and streambanks are important and intricate parts of aquatic ecosystems. Managing these areas properly is vital to the health of our lakes, rivers, and streams. Erosion is a large problem that affects shoreline and streambanks, not only because the eroding sediment can fill in our water bodies, but also because areas that are wearing away are less stable and more likely to collapse. This is especially worrisome for homeowners that live near a creek. Today many home owners use rip-rap and retaining walls to stabilize shorelines, but practices do not necessarily stop erosion, and they are costly. The best method for stabilization is to utilize native plantings because native plants have a longer root systems that provides strong support along the shore. |
User's Guide to Shoreland Property |
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| Wetlands are often known as bogs, marshes, cedar swamps, and potholes. They are unique areas that typically occur at the edge of aquatic and upland systems. Wetlands can be wet year-round, or just during certain seasons. They are characterized by wet soils and they support vegetation, called hydrophytes, that are adapted to the damp conditions. Cattails, wild rice, tamarack, and cedar trees all grow in wetlands. Many animals also make their home in wetland ecosystems. Some benefits wetlands provide are: habitat for birds and other wildlife, good water quality, flood damage reduction, erosion control, a healthy fish population, and a great place for recreation. |  |
When working near wetlands or planning to construct near a wetland, try to minimize the impact of development as much as possible. It is advisable to avoid building on or near a wetland entirely. For more in depth information, visit our Wetland Resources page. |
Are you ready to '"Pave the Way" with porous pavers? |
Porous (or pervious/permeable) asphalt, concrete, and pavers are becoming more and more popular in construction practices, as they allow water to filter and flow through them, greatly decreasing the runoff problem. Asphalt and concrete are engineered to have extra spaces (pores) that allow water to trickle straight down at the point of contact and enter a storage area (a sand and gravel sub-base) beneath the surface. Pavers are basically bricks that are placed in such a manner that water runs off into the crevices and filters into a storage area. These products can be used almost anywhere, commercially in large parking lots or on residential streets and driveways. They are designed to hold a large amount of water and to filter quickly. |
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Green roofs have been used for many years in European countries, and they are beginning to gain popularity here in the United States. They are simply roofs that are planted with plants (usually native species). Much like porous pavement for a roof, green roofs are designed to absorb, filter, and store stormwater. They also provide added insulation and can reduce building heating costs. Not only that, they are beautiful and provide a nice place to relax!
Check out the following pages for more information on the benefits of installing a green roof: |
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Swales are vegetated water conveyance systems that filter pollutants from stormwater runoff. Typically, they are shallow and are not designed to handle a large amount of water. In addition, they are usually fairly flat and are planted with native species, as those are more resistant to high water flow. Swales are generally low maintenance and can be installed almost anywhere that development occurs. Among the many benefits of vegetates swales, they also provide stabilization and prevent erosion, cost less to install than traditional curbs and gutters, and again, are much nicer to look at compared to concrete and asphalt. The following are additional resources that outline the benefits of vegetated swales: |