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Fertilizer Fertilizing More than Intended
Access to a clean lake for swimming, fishing and other recreation
is something many Minnesotans expect as birthright. Unfortunately,
many of Minnesota’s lakes are facing a serious phosphorus-pollution
problem, in-part largely due to fertilizer runoff from people’s
yards. Every time it rains, some of the fertilizers used to
make lawns greener get washed down storm drains and eventually
end up in lakes and streams. It turns out that phosphorus fertilizers
are not just food for grass; they’re power food for algae.
When present in large enough quantities, the chemical can lead
to algal blooms in lakes, which can muck up the water —
or worse. Algal blooms and subsequent die-offs also can lead
to oxygen depletion in bottom waters thus eliminating important
fish habitat and changing food webs even when oxygen is sufficient.
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Providing Accurate Information
The Lake Access Project studies the impact that lawn fertilizer
and other pollutants have on lakes in the greater Minneapolis
suburban area. Using remote underwater sampling stations known
as RUSS units in lakes, and automated stream and stormwater
monitoring instrumentation, they collect real-time water quality
information from various points and pass the data on to citizens
via a website. This information allows the community to become
better involved in regulatory decisions that could affect their
quality of life, and can also serve as a powerful counter to
“it’s-not-going-to-happen-to-me” attitudes.
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Knowledge Is Just the Beginning
The Lake Access Project does not simply stop at collecting information
about the health of lakes. It goes out into the community, analyses
and interprets the data, and offers suggestions on steps people
can take to protect water quality in their neighborhoods. The
project targets anglers, boaters, swimmers and watershed residents
with information and suggestions specifically geared towards
them, and it offers people the opportunity to make a difference
through lifestyle changes, volunteer work and political action.
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More information…
Lake
Access
Learn how you can improve water quality through simple behavior
changes, volunteer work and political action in the official
website of the Lake Access Project.
Lake
Access Technology Transfer Handbook
Use this handy how-to reference to discover ways you could
help set up a project to deliver timely water quality information
to your community.
Responsible
Lawn Care Practices
Browse this directory of articles and websites that recommend
ways to care for your lawn that won't put excess phosphorus
out into the environment.
Yard
Care and the Environment
A series of PDF documents on how different yard care practices
impact water quality.
Minnesota
Sea Grant
Sea Grant works with communities to identify environmental
needs, fund research and translate results.
Water
on the Web
Educational curricula using time-relevant data from automated
RUSS units and stream monitoring systems to help teach Basic
Science and Water Science at the high school, community college,
and college levels.
Three
Rivers Hennepin Park District
Learn how the water quality is managed through the cooperation
of surrounding communities and watershed organizations. Also
find information on the Hennepin beaches.
Natural
Resources Research Institute
As part of the University of Minnesota Duluth, the Natural
Resources Research Institute fosters economic development
of MInnesota's natural resources in an environmentally sound
manner to promote private sector employment.
Shoreland
Management Resource Center
Easy access to information about sustainable shoreland practices
to improve management of Minnesota's lakes and rivers.
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The videos on this site are part of an hour long
video produced by the Environmental Fund for Pennsylvania/GreenWorks
for the Environmental Protection Agency's EMPACT Program. To
get a copy of the entire video, contact GreenTreks at talktous@greentreks.org.
Learn more about our Outreach Efforts for this production. Email
us at talktous@greentreks.org. |
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