LAKE STEWARDSHIP:

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT OUR WATERS

 

As shoreland development continues on our area lakes and rivers it is increasingly important that those of us fortunate enough to live on the water take seriously our responsibility as stewards of the waters.  While activities of non-riparians do have an impact on lake water quality and habitat, riparians, by virtue of our proximity to the water, have an even greater impact.  Our impact can be positive or negative; can serve to preserve or to harm our lakes and rivers.  Many riparians do not appreciate the effect one landowner can have on the overall quality of our waters and on habitat that make up the local wildlife ecosystem.  Each of us, and all of us collectively, can and do make a difference. Here are some simple lake stewardship practices that can help to ensure that our children and grandchildren can enjoy clean lakes and rivers in years to come:

 

Maintain Your Septic System

 

Septic systems near lakes, rivers and wetlands may not be efficient in treating wastewater due to soil conditions.  Failing systems are a health risk as they may pollute the water with bacteria, parasites and viruses making them unsafe for recreational activities. Pathogens in the water may also be carried to humans by flies and mosquitoes. This pollution may occur as a result of runoff from septic seepage that surfaces from the system or from contaminants reaching ground water as it moves toward the lake.  Nutrient-rich run-off from failing systems promotes algae and weed growth in lakes and rivers.  Algae growth diminishes water clarity and can pose health risks to humans and pets.  The decomposition of plants utilizes oxygen which is important to fish and other wildlife.

 

Septic systems should be pumped every one to three years to maintain proper functioning.  Both the solids and grey-water tanks should be emptied.  Spring is the ideal time to have your septic pumped.  Fall pumping can increase the risk of freeze-up in the winter.  Other activities that will help prolong the life of your system include: conserve water by washing only full loads in washing machines and dishwashers, eliminate the use of garbage disposals, dispose of grease and coffee grounds without flushing them down the drain, use toilet paper that breaks down readily, use liquid rather than powdered detergents, attach a filter to your washing machine to decrease the amount of lint that travels into your system, minimize the use of household chemicals for cleaning.  Do not use additives in your septic as they do not help and may harm your system.

 

Minimize runoff, chemical and nutrient pollution

 

Runoff from lakeshore surfaces carries nutrients and other pollutants into the water.  Runoff is minimized by decreasing impervious surfaces on your property and by locating them further away from the water, and by limiting soil erosion on your lakeshore property.  Runoff is reduced by limiting tree and brush clearing and shoreland excavation, reducing the amount of mowed lawn, and by maintaining a shoreland buffer of native plants.  Newly excavated sites should be stabilized immediately and measures for permanent stabilization of the soil put into place. Steep slope conditions are particularly vulnerable to erosion and runoff.  Your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) can provide assistance in utilizing best practices for shoreland restoration and management.

Directing gutter spouts away from the water or into rain barrels or rain gardens, diverting rainwater from impervious surfaces such as driveways, and disposing of grass clippings, leaves and pet waste away from the water decreases nutrient runoff.  Wood ash contains high amounts of phosphorus.  Locating fire pits away from the water and periodically removing ashes from the pit are good practices.  Although phosphorus-containing fertilizers have been banned for private use in Minnesota, phosphorus-free lawn fertilizers contain nutrients that may be harmful to the lake.  Pumping lake water for watering your yard and gardens and aerating the soil will decrease the need for fertilization.  Herbicides and pesticides may be harmful to fish and other aquatic wildlife and should be used with discretion.

 

What to do if you are planning shoreland alterations:

 

Shoreland (and wetland) alterations are regulated by the ordinances of your township and county, by state law, and by federal and state entities including the Army Corp of Engineers, the MPCA and the DNR.  Permits are required for most shoreland alteration as well as for most construction and trail or road development.  Contact your local governing unit (township or city) land use administrator or the county environmental services for specific information.

 

Saving an endangered habitat

 

Native lakeshore habitat is endangered by increased development.  This habitat is critical in providing food and nesting places for loons, ducks, geese, heron, red-winged blackbirds, frogs and other animals.  The health and abundance of eagles and fish in our area are in part determined by the health of our waters.  It is much easier to prevent and slow the eutrophication of lakes than to resurrect them after they have become overgrown with aquatic plants and algae to the point that the water is murky and oxygen levels are critically low.  If each of us practices good lake stewardship we can preserve our waters and the biodiversity of our shorelands.

 

Join your local watershed association: help preserve our lakes and rivers!

 

Slow your boat: Observe no wake no wash zones to minimize river bank erosion and to prevent the disturbance of nesting sites!

 

On-line information on septic maintenance and lake stewardship activities:

 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (www.pca.state.mn.us): Guide to Lake Protection and Management. Sediment and erosion control for new homeowners.  Compliance inspections for individual sewage-treatment systems.  Other information including lake water quality summaries.

 

University of Minnesota Extension (www.extension.umn.edu): Maintaining your shoreland septic system.  Septic system owners guide. Other information.

 

Minnesota Deparment of Natural Resources (www.dnr.state.mn.us) What can I do to keep my shoreline from washing away?  Will a sand beach work on my shoreline? Other information.

 

Lake Andrusia Watershed Association (www.paulbunyan.net/andrusia)

LAKE ANDRUSIA WATERSHED ASSOCIATION (LAWA)

14720 ANJONABE CT. SE

BEMIDJI, MN  56601

www.paulbunyan.net/andrusia

 

Date:                         April 12, 2008

 

TO:          LAWA members, property owners within 350 feet of Lake Andrusia and those residing between Andrusia and Wolf Lake on the Mississippi River

 

FROM:   President Jan McLandsborough, Lake Andrusia Watershed Association

 

RE:                           Individual Sewage Treatment System (ISTS) Compliance Inspection

 

Dear Fellow Riparians,

 

It is time to think spring!  Spring is a time to shake of the doldrums of winter and think about the return of robins, loons, eagles and other migratory birds, budding trees and flowers, yards and gardens, and the boating and fishing that are a part of why we choose to live in the beautiful north woods.  It is a time to appreciate the biodiversity of our area and the health of our lakes. It is also a great time to be thinking about your Individual Sewage Treatment Systems (ISTS), more commonly know as septic systems.  Spring is the best time to pump your ISTS holding tanks, something that should be done every one to three years depending on household water usage. 

 

We are writing to encourage you to also have your septic system inspected by a licensed inspector to assure proper functioning of your ISTS.  Improperly functioning systems pose a threat to the health of our lakes as well as to humans whose drinking water may become contaminated by their own or neighboring septic systems. As you may recall from the letter that we sent to you last July, LAWA received a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation to fund part of the costs of septic inspections for our constituents.  LAWA is working in cooperation with Beltrami County Lakes and Rivers Association (BCLARA) and Beltrami County Environmental Services to encourage voluntary septic inspections. Septic system functioning and the impact of failing systems in our watershed was identified as a primary concern at a LAWA visioning session and is part of our Healthy Lakes Management Plan to preserve water quality.

 

LAWA has contracted with a state-licensed inspector to conduct the inspections in accordance with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Beltrami County ISTS rules.  The inspection includes examining the system for:

Sewage escaping to the ground surface or backing up in a dwelling

Non-compliant system components (i.e., drywells and seepage pits)

Insufficient ground water separation distance from the bottom of the treatment area

 

 

 

Systems that have been installed or that have passed a compliance inspection within the past 3 years are considered to be complying and will not be inspected unless the resident has specific concerns regarding their system.  Systems that are found to be non-complying will be put on an upgrade schedule with the highest priority given to possible human threats.

 

Recent legislative changes to septic inspection rules will take effect in two years.  Changes in the manner in which ISTS compliance must be evaluated will mean increased costs for inspections.  The cost is likely to be two or three times what it is now.  This is one more good reason to have your system inspected now!

 

Please contact the person named below if you are interested in participating.  Participation in this project is not mandatory.  Currently, compliance inspections are required only when the homeowner applies for a land use permit or upon transfer of title to the property.  However, we know that you are interested in the health of our lake and the health of your family and friends.  This is one positive step we can take to help preserve the Lake Andrusia area for ourselves and our grandchildren.  LAWA thanks you in advance for your participation in this project.  As a bonus, participants will receive a free one year LAWA membership.

 

Please contact Diane Bohn 335-0172 for further information regarding the contracted inspector for this program and how to participate.  LAWA will pay $50 toward the cost of the inspection, the balance being the responsibility of the resident (generally, $50 - $75). These funds are available for a limited time.  Residents will be wholly responsible for the costs of system upgrades or replacements.

 

 

 

 

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