C’mon, Jefferson County, are we going to let Dane County
love their lakes more than we love ours?
They are in the midst of a
“Love your lakes, don’t leaf them”
campaign. Its aim is to keep
leaves out of lakes. We are all
aware of the phosphorus that
leaves contain and what that phosphorus does to
lakes. (Think green and
slimy.) But perhaps not all
realize how those beautiful
autumn leaves get into the lake. No one would think of dumping a
wheelbarrow of leaves directly into the lake, but, in essence,
that is what you
could be doing if you leave your leaves in the gutter. If there is a hard rainfall before
leaves are collected (as there
was last year), guess where those leaves go!
City of Lake Mills residents have no excuse for not being
aware of where they go, since Eric Colegrove has painted every sewer
drain that
leads to the lake. Township
residents, who are not connected to the storm sewers, are not off the hook. If your leaves
are on a paved road that
drains toward the lake, your phosphorus-rich leaves could also end up in the
lake.
Dane County
asks that leaves be piled on the tree border rather than in the gutter (many
communities require this) and covered
with a tarp until work crews pick them
up. It also recommends other options,
such as making compost piles, using bags of leaves
as insulation, or tilling
them into gardens as fertilizer.
Since in the city of Lake Mills crews pick up the leaves from the
gutters,
these alternatives may be your best way to show your love for Rock
Lake. Don’t let Dane County win
the lakes love-fest!
MAKING WAVES
Johanna Chworowsky, RLIA
