East Metro Water

Like water flowing east

By: angiehongmn October 10, 2018

Uncategorizedconservation, environment, fall, featured, infrastructure, National Park Service, St. Croix River, Wild and Scenic RiverLeave a Comment

Clouds and mountains all tangled together up to the blue sky a rough road and deep woods without any travelers far away the lone moon a bright glistening white nearby a flock of birds sobbing like children one old man sitting alone perched in these green mountains a small shack the retired life letting my…

So long sweet summer! Prepping lawns and gardens for the winter

By: angiehongmn October 2, 2018October 2, 2018

Buckthorn, Yards and Landscapingbees, buckthorn, fall, featured, gardening, lawn care, lawns, leaves, vegetable gardensLeave a Comment

By now, you’ve probably picked the last of the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants growing in your vegetable gardens. The predicted frost never quite made it to my house last weekend, but I know it’s only a matter of time before the winter temps will settle in for good. As you begin to prepare your lawn…

South Washington Watershed District celebrates 25 years of flood prevention and habitat restoration

By: angiehongmn October 1, 2018

Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, Partners and UpdatesCottage Grove, featured, Great River Greening, Grey Cloud, Mississippi River, south washington watershed district, Washington County, WoodburyLeave a Comment

Volunteer event scheduled for Oct. 11 in Woodbury Three years ago, volunteers gathered in a wind-swept field on a rainy spring day to plant 3000 young oak trees for a future oak savanna. The site – located on the border between Woodbury and Cottage Grove – is part of a conservation corridor created by South…

Celebrate water and nature at Brown’s Creek Park – Sept. 29

By: angiehongmn September 25, 2018September 25, 2018

Partners and UpdatesBrown's Creek, Brown's Creek Watershed District, family fun, featured, Minnesota trails, streams, troutLeave a Comment

He’s standing in an open field, late November, and the sun is glowing through the goldenrod and bluestem. Sun kissing son. There are times like this when the natural world is so beautiful, I want to open my eyes just a little bit wider and etch the memory into my heart. When the Brown’s Creek…

Learning to care for your well and septic system can help to prevent catastrophe

By: angiehongmn September 21, 2018September 20, 2018

Groundwater, Keeping water cleanfeatured, Septic Systems, Washington County, wellsLeave a Comment

Free workshop at Washington County Fairgrounds: Oct. 2, 5:30-7:30pm During my sophomore year of high school, my mother and I moved into a new house on the edge of town. Surrounded by thick bushy pines and nestled on a three-acre chunk of land, the amenities of the yard made up for the fact that it…

Living the buckthorn and bittersweet life

By: angiehongmn September 17, 2018

Buckthorn, Yards and Landscapingbuckthorn, featured, invasive species, oriental bittersweet, wildlife habitatLeave a Comment

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I have a faint (ever-so-faint) recollection of the carefree joy I used to feel while hiking in the woods. “Aren’t these woods pretty?” I would think. “Look at all those pretty wildflowers along the roadside. Isn’t life grand?” My bliss was permanently disrupted, though, when I took my first ecology class…

Using models to guide water restoration efforts

By: angiehongmn September 17, 2018September 17, 2018

Keeping water clean, Partners and Updatesagriculture, featured, St. Croix River, St. Croix Watershed Reserch Station, Sunrise River, SWAT model, watershed restorationLeave a Comment

Jim Almendinger, Director of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, has spent nearly 30 years studying the connections between rain, runoff, land use, and water quality. We know that many of our favorite waterways have too much sediment and phosphorus. As a result, we see more algae blooms during the summer and fewer fish on…

When the sprinklers are running but the grass is still dry

By: angiehongmn August 30, 2018August 30, 2018

Yards and Landscapingfeatured, irrigation, lawn care, University of Minnesota, water conservation, Woodbury, yardsLeave a Comment

Have you ever wondered why some parts of your lawn remain stubbornly dry even on days when the sprinklers have run? You might be surprised to learn that water pressure is often to blame. According to Lindsay Brown, most cities serve homes with water at a pressure of about 60 psi (pounds per square inch).…

The day the lake disappeared

By: angiehongmn August 22, 2018

Partners and Updatesclimate change, climate resiliency, featured, flooding, infrastructure, stormwaterLeave a Comment

Have you ever built a lake? William Newman did. When the construction company owner from Chicago moved to Delton, Wisconsin in 1926, he immediately bought all of the land along both sides of Dell Creek and set to work to create his lake. One year later, a 30-ft high dam and 1000-ft long dike blocked…

Stepping off the beaten path and into Mooer’s Park charm

By: angiehongmn August 15, 2018

Outdoor Adventures, WildlifeCottage Grove, featured, Grey Cloud, Mississippi River, Mooers Park, river restoration, wildlife habitatLeave a Comment

For a big river, the Mississippi can be awfully hard to find. Though it traverses 21 miles of Washington County, from the City of Newport to the St. Croix River confluence in Hastings-Prescott, there are precious few places to access the water as it flows. To find the river here requires a road map and…