Everyone living along Upper Hay Lake shares the responsibility of keeping the lake clean and safe. Imagine Upper Hay Lake having so many weeds that it’s not navigable for boating, or so cloudy with algae that it’s not safe to swim or fish. Now imagine the negative impact on your property value. Anyone interested in buying your lake home will certainly see the poor water quality and walk away. We love the green lawns and shrubbery around our lake homes, but the runoff from our lots that goes into the lake, especially from grass clippings and fertilizer, has a negative impact. Left unchecked, Upper Hay Lake will suffer.
What can you do?
The simple answer is to create a “no mow” zone from the water’s edge to your lawn, about 15 feet wide along the length of the shoreline. Within that area, right by the water’s edge, plant native vegetation. This vegetation will absorb the minerals in runoff and stop them from entering the lake. An added benefit is that many such plants have very deep growing root systems that will stabilize the shoreline and decrease erosion.
How do I do that and what might it cost?
The Upper Hay Lake Association has long promoted shoreline restoration. The Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District (CWSWCD) provides shoreline restoration grant money. The program provides clean water legacy funds to local groups and citizens to improve water quality and reduce storm water runoff.
If you are interested in improving your shoreline for next year, be sure to contact one of your UHLA Board members. The plan needs to be in place during the Fall months to have ample time to apply for grant money early the following Spring. Note that the CWSWCD won’t know if it will get funding or how much it will be until after January 1st.
Together we can make a difference in both reducing the amount of phosphorus in our lake and beautifying our lake.
