WILLMAR -- Property owners who prevent their grass clippings, lawn fertilizer and leaves from entering gutters and streets would be helping the city comply with pending federal and state regulations to reduce pollution in storm water runoff.
Implementing such simple steps could be part of the public education component of the city's proposed program to prevent storm water pollution. The program is federally mandated under the Clean Water Act of 1972 and is being carried out by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The program has been phased in and this year affects Willmar and other cities its size.
Brian Bollig, assistant city engineer, said Willmar and other cities in the Minnesota River basin are required to reduce phosphorus in storm water runoff by 30 percent by 2025.
Part of Willmar's storm water enters Hawk Creek, which enters the Minnesota River. The other part enters the south fork of the Crow River, which flows to the Mississippi River.
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Phosphorus contributes to algae growth. During low flow conditions in July and August, the algae settle downstream and are consumed by bacteria, which deplete the oxygen in the water.
"One of the primary ways to control that is to limit the amount of phosphorus being discharged," Bollig said.
He explained the program to the Willmar City Council's Public Works/Safety Committee Tuesday evening and asked the committee to support the city's application to the MPCA for the first of four permits.
The committee voted to recommend council members approve the permit application at their next meeting on Monday.
"It's something that needs to be done for protection of our lakes and our water systems and our rivers,'' said Doug Reese, committee chairman. "But it can be frustrating: the mandates handed down with no funding available and having to come up with a plan to fund the improvements needed to meet the mandates.''
"It's the right thing to do,'' said committee member Ron Christianson.
Committee member Bruce DeBlieck suggested the permit application be posted on the city's Web site for people to read.
Bollig said river contamination comes from a variety of sources, including cities and farms.
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The program requires cities to undertake minimum control measures, such as educating the public about storm water pollution and prevention, detecting and eliminating illicit discharges and controlling runoff from construction sites.
"There's a tremendous educational component associated with the program,'' said Bollig. "It's educating people on what happens when they do certain things, like lawn mowing or pet litter or lawn fertilizing. ... There is a result of that. A large part of the program is to help them understand those issues.''
