Clean Water Blog

Backyard composting of certain food scraps and yard trimmings can significantly reduce the amount of waste that needs to be managed by the local government or put in a landfill. When properly composted, these wastes can be turned into natural soil additives for use on lawns and gardens, and used as potting soil for house plants. Finished compost can improve soil texture, increase the ability of the soil to absorb air and water, suppress weed growth, decrease erosion, and reduce the need to apply commercial soil additives.

Learn how to compost food scraps and yard trimmings (see Composting Is Easy!). For more information, consult reference materials on composting, or check with local environmental, agricultural, or park services. Composting foods in highly populated areas is not recommended because it can attract rodents and other pests.

Start the pile with a 4-inch layer of leaves, loose soil, or other coarse yard trimmings. If you are going to compost food scraps (a slightly more involved process), you should mix them with yard trimmings when adding them to the pile. Alfalfa meal or clean cat litter may be added to the pile to absorb odors. In dry weather, sprinkle water on the pile, but don’t get it too soggy. Turn the pile every few weeks with a pitchfork to circulate air and distribute moisture evenly. Don’t be surprised by the heat of the pile or if you see worms, both of which are part of the decomposition process. Make sure children do not play in the composting pile or bin. 

In most climates, the compost is done in 3 to 6 months when it becomes a dark crumbly material that is uniform in texture. Spread it in the garden or yard beds or under the shrubbery. The compost also can be used as potting soil.

Information provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This is for all of you science lovers that are eager to learn the next inspiring fact about nature or wonder what random thoughts occupy some of the greatest scientific minds of our era. 

A noteworthy blog has been created by the website, Environmental Science Masters, that links you to the top 33 Environmental Scientists twitter accounts.  To view the 33 scientists please click on this link to access their website.   http://www.mastersinenvironmentalscience.org/33-environmental-scientists-worth-following-on-twitter.html

A family of four uses approximately 400 gallons of water every day, indoor use only. Here are a few ways you can save water.

·               Wash only full loads of laundry, or use the appropriate water level or load size selection. Wash in cold water when you can.

·               Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth.

·               Take short showers instead of baths.

·               Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting  the faucet run until the water is cool.

·               Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher. Wash only full loads.

·               Repair all leaks. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons a day. To test your toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Wait a few minutes. If coloring appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leak.

·               Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best).

·               Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only, not the street or sidewalk.

·               Keep your yard healthy by dethatching, mulching and using natural fertilizers.

·               Sweep outside instead of using a hose. 

Ideas to Fit Your Budget

Cheap Fix:  Install WaterSense - labeled low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, and compost kitchen scraps rather than putting them in the disposal. Take shorter showers and reuse shower warm-up water or bath water to water plants.

Affordable Upgrade:  Replace older toilet models with low-flow or composting toilets. Buy or construct a rain barrel to collect storm water to irrigate your landscape.

Investment:  Install a graywater system to reuse household water for landscape irrigation. Buy an efficient, Energy Star dishwasher and a front- loading clothes washer.

Source:  Well Owners Network Newsletter 

EPA has released a significant upgrade to its Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox. This new version is available online at www.epa.gov/nps/toolbox/.

This version includes two important new features, along with other improvements:

1)   A robust new search feature to help you find the most applicable TV, radio or print materials in the Toolbox’s product catalog to meet your specific nonpoint source/stormwater outreach needs (available directly at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/index.cfm)

2)   Significant new content of outreach material–TV, radio and print ads on various nonpoint source and stormwater topics of concern

The Nonpoint Source (NPS) Outreach Toolbox is intended for use by state and local agencies and other organizations interested in educating the public on nonpoint source pollution or stormwater runoff. The Toolbox contains a variety of resources to help develop an effective and targeted outreach campaign.

Source: US EPA

Guest blog from Connect Utilities.  http://www.connectutilities.org/blog/2011/7-ways-to-conserve-water-for-your-pool/

Pools use a lot of water. There is no way around that, but there are things you can do to conserve the amount of water that is used by your pool. Making a few simple changes, and then keeping your maintenance issues up to date, can make a much bigger difference in your overall water usage than you might expect. Following is a list of seven tips for conserving the amount of water that is used for your pool.

1. Cooler water temps. The warmer the water, the faster it will evaporate out of the pool. Keep the temperature turned down just a degree or two more than you normally would. Cool water feels good on a hot day and your bodies will adjust to it quickly. You’ll save energy as well as water by following this tip.
2. Pool enclosure. Having a pool enclosure will serve as a wind break which can help eliminate water loss from your pool due to waves caused by the wind. A pool enclosure is a good safety feature as well. It can help prevent pool accidents, if the pool is not easily accessible from all sides.
3. Lower levels – You don’t need to have your pool water right to the brim of the pool. Keep the levels in little lower. This uses less water and also decreases the amount of water that will be splashed out of the pool by swimmers and the wind.
4. Hand clean the filter – Backwashing that is used to clean your filter uses a tremendous amount of water and doesn’t do as good of job at cleaning the filter as you could do yourself. Take the time to hand clean the filter and conserve your water for the pool.
5. Repair leaks – Check for leaks and make sure that they are repaired immediately. Poor pool maintenance can be costly in the long run and means ongoing water loss that could be prevented.
6. Monitor PH levels – You may be surprised to see this maintenance issue listed as a means of conserving water. However, if you keep your pool PH levels monitored and the appropriate chemical balances maintained, you will have a cleaner pool. The less often you have to clean your pool, the less water you will use for your pool. Just a little common sense.
7. Turn off the extra features – If you have fountains or waterfalls as part of the extra features on your pool, use them sparingly. Air filtering through the running water will aerate it and create evaporation. Save the enjoyment of these features for special occasions, such as a pool party with friends. They don’t need to be turned on everyday, or every time you use the pool. Every little bit counts in the conservation effort.

Conservation is always about doing a combination of little things, more than doing one big thing. You don’t need to quit using your pool, you just need to adjust how you do things a little to make a big difference.

Mills Fleet Farm Kids’

Fishing Day 

July 9, 2011

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Fleet Farm Retail Outlets in MN

Mills Fleet Farm hosts the 10th annual Kids’ Fishing Day on Saturday, July 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 11 Mills Fleet Farm locations throughout Minnesota. The event encourages participants to appreciate and learn basic kids fishing skills, such as casting, knot tying, fish identification, safety, and live bait use.

Minnesota Sea Grant is coordinating the staffing of Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!^TM booths at the Mills Fleet Farm Kids’ Fishing Day events to help educate fishers, young and old, about the problems caused by aquatic invasive species such as Eurasian watermilfoil. Sea Grant is also supplying materials and invasive species specimens to each of the booths.

Kids’ Fishing Day is free and open to all kids. If you have any questions about the event, please visit the Customer Service Desk at one of the following Mills Fleet Farm locations: Alexandria, Blaine, Brainerd/Baxter, Brooklyn Park, Fergus Falls, Lakeville, Oakdale, Owatonna, Rochester, St. Cloud/Waite Park, and Winona.

MDA introducing natural ally in Twin Cities’ fight against EAB

ST. PAUL, Minn. - As part of the ongoing effort to slow the spread of emerald ash borer (EAB), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) introduced tiny, stingless wasps as biological control in several locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

Biological control, or biocontrol, is a pest control strategy that pairs an invasive pest with natural enemies that restrict the pest in its native range.  MDA released three kinds of tiny, stingless wasps approved for use as biocontrol by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Biocontrol organisms such as these wasps are used only after extensive testing confirms they will not harm people or impact species besides emerald ash borer or the environment. Last fall, MDA introduced two of the three species of wasps in Houston County to control another EAB infestation. 

The five metro release sites include Langford Park in St. Paul, as well as Tower Hill Park, two sites along East River Parkway, and one site along West River Parkway in Minneapolis.   

Read the full story at the  Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s news release webpage

Mississippi River Forum“Carpzilla: Is the Mississippi River in Minnesota next?

”Friday, July 8, 2011. 7:30-9:00 a.m.
St. Cloud City Council Chambers, 400-2nd Street South, John Anfinson,

Chief of Resource Management. National ParkService-Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

Light breakfast provided. Free.  It’s summertime in Minnesota, and for many of us, that means long days on our favorite water body fishing, boating, and swimming. But those who have heard horror stories (or seen video) of giant leaping fish in the South and elsewhere in the Midwest have good reason to fear for these summer days of idyll. Invasive Asian carps are headed our way, and a network of federal, state, and local partners are working to prevent their establishment in the Mississippi River in Minnesota—and their management if (more likely, “when,”) they do make it here. If they make it to the Twin Cities, St.Cloud probably isn’t too far behind. Come find out how Minnesota is preparing for Asian carps and how you can help. 

The Mississippi River Forum is made possible by the generous support of the Mississippi River Fund and the McKnight Foundation.