Shoreland Information for Property Owners

A healthy lake doesn't just happen. Water quality is largely dependent on what happens on the land around your lake, river and even within you watershed.

It's the runoff from the land, and the pollution that is carried with it, that can determine the quality of the water.  It comes about when shoreline property owners and others living around your lake and within the watershed take steps to maintain your lake's health. 

 Here are a few steps to start with:

• Apply Fertilizer Sparingly. Use Zero-Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer.
• If you live on a lake, stream or wetland, plant a buffer strip of native plants along the water. If you have a lawn, keep it small and don’t use fertilizers and pesticides.
• Use Herbicides and Pesticides sparingly, or not at all.
• Go slow in your boat. Big wakes erode shorelines.
• Don’t use the lake as a bathtub or a toilet.  Soaps and urine contain nutrients and pollutants that are harmful to the lake and organisms living in it.
• Locate Fire Pits away from the shore and dispose of ash.  Ashes from the fire pit are phosphorus-loaded and will feed algae growth. 
• Keep Aquatic Invasive Species from spreading, by decontaminating all watercraft coming into and out of a lake.  Or better yet, enjoy your own lake and don't transport your watercraft to any other body of water.  
• Learn as much as you can about lake management

Learn more at shoreland information.