Where is the Lake Wingra Watershed?
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Specific Watershed Plan Goals
Steering Team meetings held in 2013 and 2014 helped arrive at the following specific watershed plan goals. These
goals include:
1. Phosphorus: Of the 1,900 pounds of phosphorus generated in the watershed each year, 50 percent
reduction (short-term goal) and 80 percent reduction (long-term goal to comply with Rock River Basin total
maximum daily load).
2. Chlorides: With current lake chloride concentration levels trending upward to nearly 120 mg/l, return the
lake chloride concentration to a 40 mg/l level that existed circa 1970.
3. Infiltration/Groundwater Recharge: Of the 742 million gallons of lost infiltration due to development,
recover 10 percent of the lost infiltration (short-term goal) and 25 percent of the lost infiltration (long-term
goal).
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What can you do?
Achieving cleaner, clearer water, restored spring flow, and abundant native plants/wildlife will take
a team effort. It is everyone’s responsibility – the City, businesses, and you. Here are some
practical measures you can do to make Lake Wingra better?.
1. Educate yourself! – The way you rake leaves, apply salt, mow your lawn matters. You
have the greatest influence over your own personal stewardship habits.
2. Change norms! – As you become a better environmental steward, encourage your
neighbors and local businesses to do the same. Remember, this will take a team effort.
3. Support change! – The city also will be making management changes and implementing
projects to improve water quality. This may require moderating expectations (ex snow
removal) and accepting projects near to you (eg basins).
4. Advocate!
• Each year the City of Madison must establish its budget priorities. Let your local
officials know that environmental stewardship is a priority and a worthwhile
investment.
• Let your local officials know that you support city-wide and county-wide initiatives
that will make a difference, such as certification of commercial salt applicators,
incentives for rainwater infiltration, and others.
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Why is Phosphorus so important?
Polluted runoff is Wisconsin's number one water
quality problem, degrading or threatening an
estimated 90% of inland lakes. Extra
phosphorus can wash into our lakes and
streams from lawns, leaf piles, stormwater and
construction sites, roads and other hard surfaces,
causing algae blooms, water quality decline, and
negative impacts on recreational lake use and
lakeshore property values.
Fertilizers, leaves, grass clippings, eroded soil,
and animal waste are all sources of nutrients,
including phosphorus. Phosphorus is main
nutrient that drives eutrophication most lakes.
Relatively small amounts of phosphorus can
cause water quality declines.
http://www.wisconsinlakes.org/index.php/polluted-run-off
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How do leaves contribute to Phosphorus levels?
Studies from as early as 1971 have found that leaves from urban runoff are a primary contributor to phosphorus levels in
Lake Wingra. More recent studies are confirming this finding.
Studies from as early as 1971 have found that leaves from urban
runoff are a primary contributor to phosphorus levels in Lake
Wingra. More recent studies are confirming this finding.
When leaves fall in a forest (e.g. the Arboretum), they stay in place
and nourish the neighboring plant life. But when leaves fall in the
street, or there are leaf piles near the street, phosphorus leaches
from the leaves during rain and is carried directly to Lake Wingra.
The phosphorus contribution to Lake Wingra is considerable.
We can substantially decrease the amount of phosphorus going to
Lake Wingra by being careful on how we manage leaves this fall.
Leaves in the Street are a Significant Source
of Phosphorus to Lake Wingra
http://www.cleanlakesalliance.com/2013/11/07/rain-leaves-and-lakes-dont-mix/
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What you can you do to decrease Phosphorus?
Pet Waste
Leaves
Yard Waste
CLIPPINGS OUT OF GUTTER
1. Construct Best Management Practices
(BMPs) on your property.
2. Properly manage leaves on your property.
3. Consider becoming a Community
Champion and opinion leader for your
neighborhood to promote phosphorus
reducing BMPs and interact with alders.
L AKE W INGRA W ATERSHED P LAN
Why is salt a problem?
In the 1950s, cities, commercial properties, and residents began
using salt to reduce ice and snow on pavements. When
introduced, road salt seemed like a relatively harmless way to
increase roadway safety at little cost.
Since that time, chloride (road salt) concentrations have increased
over 10x from about 10mg/L to about 120 mg/L. High chloride
concentrations from stormsewer outfalls produce chloride levels so
high they harm aquatic life.
Yahara Lakes Chloride Levels from City of
Madison 2012 Salt Report
After decades of use, this road salt has also found its way into our
ground water and wells. The adjacent graphic shows Madison
wells with chlorides.
Madison Wells with Chlorides
From City of Madison 2011 Salt Report
Circle diameter proportional to chloride concentration
Road salt harms aquatic life
http://cutsalt.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html
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How much salt do you use?
Spreading between 3 to 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet is sufficient to melt
snow and clear ice. Yet studies show that both commercial and private
applicators spread as much as 25 to 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Most
of this salt flows directly into our lakes.
•
Shovel your driveway promptly to avoid packing and the need for salt
•
Use sand for traction. The City places sand for residents to use in
several locations.
•
Use less salt. You need much less than you think to melt snow and ice.
Too much salt gets into our lakes
http://www.callcontour.com/landscaping/2012/12/just‐enough‐applying‐salt‐for‐winter‐de‐icing
Estimated Chloride Contribution to Lake Wingra
2006-2012
Commercial/ Multifamily/ Institutional, 47%
City of Madison Streets, 35%
County Maintained, 11%
Residential, 3.5%
Sidewalks/ Alleys/Bike Paths, 3%
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Arboretum, 0%
Town of Madison Streets, 0.6%
The adjacent chart shows the approximate
contribution of salt to Lake Wingra from different
entities. Winter street maintenance makes up a large
part of the chlorides entering Lake Wingra.
Commercial salt applicators that maintain commercial
properties, institutional properties, and multi-family
properties contribute approximately 47 percent.
Commercial applicators can be generous applicators of
road salt, which ends up in Lake Wingra. Factors that
influence this include property owner expectations and
the threat of lawsuits.
What can the City do to use less salt?
The City of Madison already takes substantial measures to reduce their salt use. These measures
include:
• Applying anti-icing solutions to pavements in advance of storms.
• Waiting until streets are plowed before applying salt.
• Using sand instead of salt on non-arterials.
The City continues to investigate new and innovative ways to clear snow with less salt. Yet for the
City to use significantly less salt, we must change our expectations. After every storm the Streets
Department receives numerous calls to apply more salt. Rarely are they asked to apply less salt.
We are used to streets that are clear of snow, and we often don’t allow extra drive time for our trips.
The City’s salt use is directly related to our expectations – changing our expectations will help the
City use less salt.
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Why is spring flow important?
Historic data indicates that at one time there
were 33 springs flowing into Lake Wingra.
Today, this number has been reduced to 13 at
the locations shown on the adjacent map.
Human activities, development in the form of
construction of impervious surfaces has
essentially sealed off significant amounts of
formerly pervious surfaces that used to allow
rainfall/runoff to infiltrate into the ground and
recharge the groundwater table. This water is
now conveyed via storm sewer to Lake Wingra.
Additionally, groundwater wells constructed to
serve society’s needs for drinking water and
irrigation have caused groundwater drawdown,
primarily in the deep Mount Simon sandstone
aquifer.
Groundwater recharge and spring flow are
valuable to Lake Wingra because they sustain
existing spring flow, improve lake water quality,
provide unique habitat for plants and animals,
reduce the temperature of the lake waters, and
contribute base flow to Wingra Creek.
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Flowing Spring
Well
How can we increase spring flow?
Rainwater must be given
additional opportunities to
infiltrate into the ground
through:
1. Specific projects
designed to collect
and direct water into
the ground.
2. Reduction of
impervious areas
through use of
pervious pavement.
http://www.isws.illinois.edu/docs/watercycle/images/hcycle1hires.jpg
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What you can do to increase spring flow
Terrace Rain Garden
Downspout Disconnection
1. Construct Infiltration Best
Management Practices
(BMPs) on your property.
2. Consider becoming a
Community Champion and
opinion leader for your
neighborhood to promote
construction of Infiltration
BMPs and interact with alders.
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Rain Garden
What will happen with the Watershed Plan?
You can make a difference in
its implementation!
Finalize
Watershed
Plan Report
Seek
Endorsements
Seek City
Approval
• Neighborhood groups
• Advocacy
organizations
• Commission on
Environment
• Board of Public
Works
• Common Council
(Clean Lakes Alliance,
Yahara WINS, etc.)
Phase 2 of
Leaf
Collection
Pilot Project
Advocate for
Implementation
Resources
Funding for
Infrastructure
Measures
Example
• Basins
• Infiltration
• Etc.
Support for
Internal
Management
Changes
Example
• Leaf bagging
• Salt use
• Etc.
Support for
External
Programs
Example
• Commercial
salt applicator
certification
• Infiltration
incentives
Community Advocacy Activity
Watershed Plan Activity
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