WISCONSIN LAKES-PUB-FM-800 99Rev.

Back to WI Lakes Book Index.

Please Don't Feed the Lake!

After a hard rain, check out what's washing into the nearest lake. Nearby farms, construction sites, houses, gardens and lawns add nutrients and sediments, contributing to excessive algae and plant growth. Simply put, what feeds your own crops, lawns, and gardens also overfeeds the lake's greenery!

What you do to your land tends to show up in a lake. Follow these simple steps to slow water runoff and minimize nutrient overloading:

• Maintain vegetation on steep hills and banks, or terrace steep slopes
• Leave a natural vegetation buffer zone near your lakeshore
• Do you really need to fertilize your lawn? If so, apply only what is recommended through soil testing
• Remove cut aquatic plants and dead fish from lakeshore
• Use compost from lawn clippings or harvested aquatic plants to fertilize gardens and flowers
• Don't burn lawn wastes or sweep the leaves and lawn clippings into street gutters
• Direct runoff from rooftop downspouts to areas where it can soak into the soil
• Minimize paved and impermeable surfaces
• Minimize soil disturbance during construction and revegetate bare areas as soon as possible

---

Produced by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Watershed Management
More information on this topic: James Vennie, Limnologist, (608)266-2212

Lakes Partnership | Watershed Management | Fish Wisconsin | Fisheries Management