11 November 2009 Gem Lake News - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Leaves and Grass Clippings Affect Ground Water Quality Last spring’s street sweeping project in Gem Lake resulted in 26 tons of refuse being gathered up from city streets. This staggering amount of waste consisted largely of leaves, yard waste, twigs and other refuse from the immediate area. Storm water runoff, combined with leaves and grass clippings, can have an adverse effect on the environment and the quality of our ground water. At this time of year, it’s worth remembering that all these things are related to one another, and your actions play a part. Storm water comes from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground. It flows from rooftops, over paved areas, over bare soil and through sloped lawns. As it flows, this runoff collects and transports soil, pet manure, salt, pesticides, fertilizer, oil, leaves, litter and other potential pollutants. You do not need a heavy rainstorm to send pollutants rushing towards ditches, storm sewers, streams, wetland, lakes and oceans. A garden hose alone can supply enough water to get the process started. Here are some things to keep in mind: Never, ever block drainage ditches or curb lines by raking your leaves into them. If left on sidewalks, driveways or roads your grass clippings, leaves and other yard wastes will wash away with the next storm. Although leaves and other plant debris accumulate naturally in our ditches and streams, homeowners can contribute excessive amounts of plant matter. Imagine if everyone in Gem Lake raked their leaves onto the street. By allowing our leaves and grass clippings to flow into our streets we contribute to the overall pollution of our lakes and streams. These clippings and leaves have nutrients in them. While these nutrients are good for our own grass, bushes and trees within our own yards, they have a negative effect when they get into lakes, streams, and eventually ground water. These nutrients can be filled with fertilizer and promote algae growth, which can crowd out other aquatic life. Burning yard waste is not an environmentally friendly alternative. It is also illegal in most municipalities, including Gem Lake. Hydro-Carbons and nutrients released by burning leaves can contribute to water pollution, as well as air pollution. Avoiding the problem is easy. Here are some tips: Compost—Start a compost pile or add leaves to an existing one. Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, grass clippings and other organic materials and converting them into a valuable soil enricher that can be utilized in flower and vegetable gardens. Mulch—by using a mulching mower, you can chop the leaves into small pieces which will decompose directly on your lawn. If the mower has a bagger, you can collect the leaf pieces and spread them around flower beds and shrubs. Till—Decomposing leaves provide a natural organic material, which is healthy to lawns and gardens. To reap the benefits of this natural recycling process, till leaves directly into a garden. At the end of the day, a good way to look at this is to consider the saying “If it comes from my land, it should stay on my land.” Our thanks to Chuck Watson for authoring this story.