Maple Grove Lakes Water Quality

What is the Problem?

The quality of our waterways (rivers, lakes, creeks, & ponds) has been getting poorer. Deteriorating water quality affects recreational activities like boating, fishing, hunting, and swimming.

How bad is it?

Recent studies by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in 2004 have declared a total of 1,123 different waterways in Minnesota to be on the Impaired Waters list (an "impaired water" means there is an abundance of sediment, bacteria, mercury, phosphorus and other contaminants in the water).

What affects Water Quality?

There are many factors which can affect the quality of our water. Many of these can be reduced and/or eliminated by man. Phosphorus is one of the key contributors to water quality problems in each of our 7 lakes in Maple Grove.

What does Phosphorus do?

Phosphorus is a nutrient which accelerates plant growth. Lawn fertilizers may contain phosphorus (the middle number in the chemical makeup found on each bag), which was recently banned throughout the Twin Cities 7-county metropolitan area effective January 1, 2004 for any soil which does not need it. Minnesota soils are already composed of sufficient levels of phosphorus; additional applications are not necessary. With the exception of a new lawn, a soil test is required for the use of phosphorous fertilizer (for more information see www.mda.state.mn.us/appd/ace/lawncwaterq.htm).

Phosphorus can seep into our waterways by shoreline erosion and municipal storm drains. Animal waste also contains phosphorus and is known to contribute to the water quality problem.

Once introduced into the waterway, phosphorus will create problems such as:

1. Encourage plants (both native and non-native problem varieties) to grow faster
2. Water gets thicker and turns green from algae blooms and eventually darkens the water. In fact, one pound of phosphorous can create 300-700 pounds of algae. The results are devastating:
1. Oxygen levels will be reduced (which can lead to fish kills)
2. Swimming an other recreation use is unappealing
3. Light penetration is reduced which game fish require for feeding, while rough fish such as bullheads and carp thrive.

What can we do?

Both citizens and municipalities can help improve water quality by following a few simple steps:

• Follow Minnesota's new Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer Law (0% Phosphorus in the Twin Cities). If you have a lawn service make sure they are using 0% phosphorous.
• Keep leaves and grass clippings out of gutters, streets, and ditches
• Keep animal waste out of gutters, streets, and ditches (Pick it up and bag it!)
• Clean lawn & garden equipment on the grass, not on impervious surfaces like driveways and sidewalks
• Control erosion around your property
• Buffer strips along shoreline
• Terminate gutters onto Splashguards in your yard, not onto impervious surfaces
• Reduce slopes on property
• Use a phosphorus free detergent for cleaning dishes, car washes, etc.

I don't live by water; it's not my problem

We've heard this excuse for non-compliance in the past, but it is not true. It will be everyone's problem when cleanup time comes! All storm water drains into some waterway somewhere (Rice Lake is in the Elm Creek Watershed District, which empties over 100 square miles of water into Rice Lake!). Equipment to monitor and remove phosphorus from our waterways costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. If our municipality must pick up the bill for these efforts, guess where they get their money from? Increasing your property tax dollars! Yes, we will all pay in the end if we don't begin complying today.

Members of the Rice Lake Area Association

Visit us at: http://www.homestead.RiceLake.com