What you do at home and in your yard affects local water quality. Learn tips for protecting lakes and rivers, whether mowing the lawn, raking leaves or cleaning your car.
Spring Cleaning: Spring weather can make a mess of your yard and our local waterways. Find tips for getting your landscape back in shape and keeping our water clean.
Green up your lawn, not our lakes and rivers: We all want a healthy lawn, but lush, green grass shouldn't mean smelly, green lakes. Find tips for getting the most out of your lawn, along with tools for talking to the media about lawn mowing practices.
Fertilizer tips: A properly maintained lawn helps protect water quality since healthy grass requires fewer resources to keep it looking great. Learn about the phosphorus free fertilizer law and get tips for lake friendly lawn care.
Dealing with yard waste: Yard waste, including leaves, grass clippings and other organic debris, carry lots of phosphorus. Find out how to keep nutrients out of local waterways.
Erosion control: Erosion is a major problem, not only for homeowners who end up with ugly yards, but also for our local lakes and rivers. Find tips for keeping soil on the ground and out of the water.
Winter salt and sand: Road salt poses one of the larger threats to water quality during the winter. Learn how to minimize the impacts of salt and sand on local lakes and rivers.
Green living and landscaping: Whether you live on a lake or in the middle of a city, your actions at home and in your yard have a direct impact on local water bodies. Learn how to create beautiful landscapes for your yard that help to protect lakes and rivers from stormwater pollution and pick up tips for reducing your environmental impact at home.
What do I do with this? From swimming pool water to used engine oil, learn how to dispose of waste properly to protect lakes and rivers.
Car washing tips: Many people do not associate vehicle washing with local water quality, and may be unaware that the discharges that enter storm drains are not treated at plants before being discharged into local waters.
University of Minnesota Extension Shoreland Education Publications University of Wisconsin Clean Water Publications EPA Clean Water Publications