Fall cleanups that keep the rivers clean as well – Southernminn.com

Fall is a time when we spend a lot of time cleaning up our yards, raking up leaves, washing the car, and getting ready for winter. As you do these things, there are lots of ways you can help keep the Cannon River cleaner as well.

When I think of fall, one of the first things I think about are leaves. The maple trees turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow in my neighborhood. But after the leaves turn color, they also fall into the yard. Since leaves are natural and biodegradable, some folks dont worry if a lot of them go into the street and down the storm drain.

What many people dont realize is that one definition of pollution is the right stuff in the wrong place. While our rives and lakes contain bacteria and insects that can consume some leaves, if too many leaves wash into rivers and lakes, those leaves decompose into the fertilizer phosphorus that feeds lake algae and can turn our rives and lakes green and stinky.

So how many leaves is too many? While youre not in charge of what your neighbors do, you can be in charge of what happens on your property. Rake up leaves as soon as possible and either compost them on your property or take them to a local leaf collection or compost site. Visit your citys website for information about local compost sites.

You may also want to wash your car this fall. But when you do, keep in mind that our storm drains dump directly into local rivers and lakes. So, anything that does down that drain ends up in the rivers where we swim, fish, and canoe. The best car washing solution for clean rivers is to go to a commercial car wash. The soapy wash and rinse water from those businesses goes down wastewater pipes and gets cleaned up at the citys wastewater treatment plant.

That isnt what happens when you wash your car in the driveway. If you wash your car with soap and water on your driveway or street, that soapy water drains to your storm drain and then right into the Cannon River, the Straight River or into a nearby lake. So, what can you do?

You can park your car or truck on the lawn and wash it. Grass lawns filter the soap and keep it out of our waterways.

You can just use plain water to wash your car. That way soapy water doesnt run into our rivers and lakes.

Of course you can go to a commercial car wash.

If we each do a little, we can accomplish a lot. Have a good fall!

Kevin Strauss is the community engagement director for the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

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Fall cleanups that keep the rivers clean as well - Southernminn.com