× Expand Clean Lakes Alliance

All my life I’ve called Madison “home.” I grew up on the near west side and spent my summer days swimming in Lake Mendota. I founded Clean Lakes Alliance in 2010 because I knew the lakes I love needed some serious attention. Closed beaches due to E. coli or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms were becoming too common. On top of that, our climate is changing with rain events becoming more frequent and more intense. As of mid-October, Madison has received over 46 inches of rain – which is nearly 17 inches more than normal for this time of year. Making sure our lakes are healthy and that water quality improves isn’t something just a few of us can tackle alone. Rather, it’s something that demands all of us in the greater Madison area working together to address.

A lot of people may be surprised to know that our stormwater isn’t treated by our wastewater treatment plant. All of the storm sewers you see in the streets connect to our lakes. That means anything that ends up in the street, ends up untreated in the lakes.

Recently, our record August rainfall filled these storm sewers to capacity. The deluge of water washed algae-causing phosphorus and other pollutants into the lakes, and the backup caused flooding on many downtown streets. Here is where we need help. Homeowners, businesses, and landlords can be a part of the solution, leading by example and better addressing their stormwater. The old philosophy of moving water off our properties as fast as possible into streets and storm sewers needs to change. If we’re serious about preventing flooding and protecting the lakes, a new norm needs to prioritize getting larger amounts of water to absorb into the ground on our property.

Did you know that roughly 30 percent of the algae-producing phosphorus pollution entering our lakes comes from urban and residential areas? Here are six simple actions to help minimize the impacts of flooding and reduce runoff to our lakes:

Install a rain garden — These garden basins collect and absorb water from rooftops and driveways before it reaches the storm sewer, and ultimately, our lakes. Use rain barrels — Connect one or more of your downspouts to a rain barrel. The stored water can be used to water lawns and gardens during dry periods. Redirect your downspouts — Make sure the large amount of water coming off your roof flows to your water-absorbing yard or rain garden, not down your driveway to the storm sewer. Limit hardscaping, or build with porous surfaces — If you’re adding a patio or parking lot, try to limit your hard-surface “footprint,” or consider pavers or non-solid materials that allow water to absorb into the ground. Rake for the lake — The number one source of algae-causing phosphorus entering the lakes in urban areas is leaves. Working to keep fall leaves out of our streets could reduce urban phosphorus loading by 50 percent! Spread the word — Tell your neighbors, property managers, building owners, and others that stormwater needs to infiltrate and not run off into our storm sewers and lakes.

At Clean Lakes Alliance, our vision is simple. We see a future where everybody realizes the lakes are the center of the community. For that vision to become a reality, it will take a complete shift in how we maintain the places we live and work. The good news is we’ve done it before! Thirty years ago, separating your newspapers, glass, and aluminum out of your trash seemed ridiculous. Now, we build kitchens with a place for garbage and recycling bins, we have recycling options at most restaurants and major sports venues, and we put two different cans — one for garbage, one for recycling — on the curb on trash pick-up day. We made that change as a society to protect our environment and we can make a change again to protect our lakes.

Today, when I’m spending time with my nieces and nephews on Lake Mendota, I think back to that young boy in the 1970s whose life was shaped by experiences on the lake. It’s important that they have that opportunity; it’s important that you and your kids have that opportunity; and it’s important that anybody who visits or moves to Madison has that opportunity. These lakes hold our community together literally and physically. It’s time we put them at the top of our list, change how we live and manage the land, and start to think about the future we want for generations to come.

James Tye is the executive director of the Clean Lakes Alliance