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Think
Blue – Be LakeSmart
Green
living is more than energy conservation. It is protecting our environment and
natural resources. That includes the water quality of our lakes. Being LakeSmart
is key to living green by helping you protect your shorefront property for
yourself, your children and your grandchildren.
LakeSmart’s goal is to
convert the increasing suburban landscaping around lakes to more natural,
lake-friendly landscapes that reduce storm water runoff and phosphorus
pollution from lawns, driveways, roads, and gardens, which fuels explosive
algae growth that turn water green, use up the water’s oxygen supply choking the
fish, and smell terrible.
Where does phosphorus come from? Fertilizer is the
number one culprit. But there’s more: detergent, motor oil, pet waste, paint
thinner, drain cleaners, pesticides, garbage and soil all
contribute.
What you
can do
1) Find
out where your stormwater goes when it’s raining.
Then direct the stormwater
flow to a buffer, a place with an abundance of trees, shrubs, ground cover and
duff (twigs, leaves and pine needles. Duff is nature’s mulch. It proves
nutrients for vegetation and holds moisture when it’s dry.) Buffers slow
the stormwater run-off, allowing it to seep into the ground where soil particles
bind with the phosphorus and hold onto it as a natural fertilizer for plants.
2) Stop
mowing that part of the lawn you rarely use for recreation, and plant
the no-mow areas with native shrubs and flowering
plants.
Frame your view of the lake with native plants that will
attract birds and other wildlife. Yards and lawns become so compact that 40 to
70 percent of rainwater runs off and carries pollutants into our lakes. A wide
buffer of trees and shrubs is the number one lake protection tool.
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