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A Continuing Primer on Best Management Practices for Shoreland Owners
by Jim Schwartz
A NEW STATE LAW limits the phosphorus content of lawn fertilizers to 3% in outstate Minnesota unless a soil test proves that more is needed. Our advice has always been and continues to be to avoid the use of lawn fertilizers altogether, even those that contain no phosphorus. Because most Minnesota soils contain all the phosphorus that's needed for grass to flourish, all that's required is generous watering. Any fertilizer that gets into the lake stimulates algae growth and that, in turn, reduces water quality for swimming and other water sports. Remember: what makes the grass green also makes the lake green.
IF YOU COMMONLY use anti-bacterial soaps and detergents in your household, shop around for brands that don't contain this ingredient. They're harmful to bacteria in your waste treatment (septic) system, those little bugs that break down solids and other substances so that relatively clear liquid flows to the drain field.
THAT BIT OF ADVICE also applies to "every flush" toilet bowl cleaners, products containing chemicals that have the same effect on your septic system as other anti-bacterial formulations.
ACTUALLY, THE SEPTIC SYSTEM no-no list is a long one: cooking grease, harsh cleansers, detergents with bleach additives, solvents, paints, antifreeze, prescription medicines, bacterial additives (enzymes, starters) that claim to keep your system healthy, drain cleaners, facial tissues, tampons, plastics of any kind, and, well, you get the idea.
A QUESTION THAT comes up every season is what to do with yard waste: leaves and grass clippings. Composting is an excellent solution, but if you're not equipped for that, have run out of low spots on your lot to fill and pulverizing is not practical, you may have to arrange to have the waste hauled to the county transfer station just north of Hackensack off the Stony Lake road. Above all, don't scatter leaves or grass into the lake, dump them along the roadside, or dispose of them in a wetland. Think of them as nature's nutrients that require proper management and disposal.
AS TREES AND PLANTS on your property die off for whatever reason, replace them with native species. They will thrive and prosper much more readily than will exotics because they are adapted to the climate and the general environment. And while you're at it, try to establish a buffer zone of plants along your shoreline. This will pay off in a number of ways: beautification, filtration of runoff, and stabilization of erodable soil.
WHILE BEACH BONFIRES undeniably set the mood for a romantic evening or a delightful family gathering, they have an unfortunate side as well: they're not good for the environment. The ash residue is loaded with nutrients whose most likely destination is the lake, washed in by rain or waves breaking on the beach. A better way to "have your cake and eat it, too," so to speak, is to locate your bonfire well away from the beach and confine it in a fire ring of some sort, whether purchased or homemade. When the fire has died away, remove the ashes and, after you have accumulated a sufficient quantity, have it hauled away by your garbage collector or take it to the transfer station.
