East Metro Water

A clear path ahead for Moody Lake

By: angiehongmn November 6, 2018November 6, 2018

Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, Partners and Updatesalgae blooms, alum treatment, comfort lake - forest lake watershed district, featured, Moody Lake, phosphorus, round barnLeave a Comment

Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District rounds out multi-year project with fall alum treatment In 1871, Elof and Eva Modig migrated to the United States from Sweden, purchased land near a small lake in southern Chisago County (at $1.25 an acre) and settled down to build a house and begin farming wheat. Over the…

Mooneye, sturgeon and microplastics in trout

By: angiehongmn November 6, 2018November 6, 2018

Aquatic Biology, Wildlifefeatured, freshwater mussels, microplastics, science, St. Croix River, St. Croix Watershed Reserch Station, sturgeon, trout, Warner Nature CenterLeave a Comment

In the swiftly flowing waters of the St. Croix River, a federally endangered species of mussel called the spectaclecase shelters among boulders on patches of gravel and sand. It’s not easy to make babies when you’re spectaclecase. First, the male must release sperm into the river current, hopefully upstream of a lady mussel. If a…

Watershed rules guide water-friendly development

By: angiehongmn October 31, 2018October 31, 2018

Keeping water clean, Partners and Updatesenvironmental regulations, erosion control, lakes, land development, watershed management, WetlandsLeave a Comment

For each Scrabble game, there must be at least two players and no more than four. Tiles can only be placed from left to right or from top to bottom. Words placed diagonally or backwards are not allowed. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins. To make pickles, stir…

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…