Protecting Minnesota’s Waters

By: Evan Pak, Minnesota GreenCorps Member serving at River Bend Nature Center

Our lakes, streams, and rivers are one of Minnesota’s most valuable resources. They give us clean water, recreational opportunities, and are just downright beautiful. But unfortunately, they’re under threat. Here in southern MN, a large number of our waterways are considered “impaired”, meaning that pollution has risen to a level where they aren’t suitable for all types of wildlife or activities.

One of the largest sources of water pollution is something called “runoff”. Runoff happens when rain or snowmelt (also called storm water) can’t soak into the ground. Instead, it flows into ditches and storm drains, which empty directly into waterways. As runoff flows over the ground, it picks up pollutants and carries them along. Since runoff isn’t usually filtered, this has a high impact on our waterways.

Fortunately, anyone can take action. We have two main ways to keep our water clean. First, we want to make sure that there isn’t any pollution for runoff to pick up. Things like motor oil, paint, and pesticides should never be poured onto hard surfaces or near storm drains. Other types of pollution aren’t as obvious of a problem, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t hurt our waterways. For example, sidewalk salt harms plants and animals, and grass clippings and leaves may lead to algae blooms. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix. Just sweep up those pollutants, and they can’t cause any problems.

Reducing the amount of runoff keeps it from overwhelming our waterways. When stormwater soaks in, it usually helps other parts of the environment too. There are a variety of tools to help this goal, some more complex than others. On the simpler side of things, rain barrels capture runoff for later use, and rain gardens catch pollution while stormwater soaks in. Other measures, like green roofs and porous concrete, can provide an even bigger benefit, but they’re much more expensive and difficult to install.

By working together, we make sure that our waters will stay clean for future generations to enjoy. For more information, please visit rbnc.org, crwp.net, or the Minnesota Stormwater Wiki.