Keep fertilizers on the lawn and off paved surfaces. Likely to wash the fertilizer directly into a lake or storm sewer. Make applications when a heavy rain isn't The majority of soils in our region already containĪll the phosphorus an established lawn will need, so adding more isĬheck the weather forecast. Information and fertilizer recommendations are available at your localĮxtension office. In phosphorus, use a low or phosphate-free fertilizer. Soil test your lawn every 3 - 5 years.Some of the BMPs that have been applied within the Firesteel Creek Watershed Project include the following. While most BMPs are targeted towards rural resource concerns, urban residents also share a responsibility to do their part towards improving and protecting the water quality of Lake Mitchell. Information dissemination and educational outreach has also played an important role in the continuing effort to reach this goal.īMPs are methods that have been determined to be the most effective and practical means of preventing or reducing the movement of sediment, nutrients, or other pollutants from the land to surface or ground water. The goal is to reduce the phosphorus concentration by 50% by 2015 from its pre-assessment study levels in order to decrease lake productivity and ease the intensity and duration of the lake's annual algae blooms. The Firesteel/Lake Mitchell Watershed Project is designed to reduce the nutrient load entering Lake Mitchell from Firesteel Creek by installing Best Management Practices (BMPs) throughout the watershed.
The main nutrient that drives eutrophication in most surface waters is phosphorus.įiresteel/Lake Mitchell Watershed Project
Eutrophic lakes can become green with algae or choked with aquatic plants.
Eutrophic lakes are rich in nutrients and usually become highly productive for plant growth. While lakes naturally age over a long period of time, the process can be accelerated significantly as a result of human activities (called cultural eutrophication). Wherever you live, you are in a watershed, and the activities that occur within a watershed can have direct consequences on downstream conditions. A watershed can be described as a geographic area of land that drains water to a common or shared point such as a lake, river, or stream.