Have you ever been walking near a pond or lake and spotted what looked like a green, slimy substance on the water’s surface? You may have been seeing Blue-green algae, a harmful bacteria bloom that can occur when the temperature goes up, and nutrients are high.
The SWWD has been awarded $250,000 from the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources’ (BWSR) Clean Water Legacy Partners Grant Program.
Pet waste is considered pollution, and when not picked up, it can negatively impact water quality. Waste from pets contains nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as pathogens and disease-causing bacteria.
The South Washington Watershed District is in its fifth year of collaboration with Carpenter Nature Center and South Washington Public Schools to bring experiential learning programs into the classroom.
Photographer Sarah Lilja says she won the jackpot when she was awarded the South Washington Watershed District artist residency.
Branching Out is a roughly 15-foot sculpture of a tree-made of pipes and pipe fittings. The sculpture highlights a tree's role in moving water through transpiration by using the materiality of pipes that also transport water and the organic form of the tree.
Construction is complete on SWWD’s new 0.4-mile accessible trail along the western edge of Glacial Valley Park. This new recreational trail completes Washington County’s vision of a continuous trail network extending from Lake Elmo Park Reserve to Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park that does not require the use of any road shoulders.
SWWD marked the official end of work on the Trout Brook stream restoration project. To celebrate the occasion, SWWD worked with the Minnesota DNR to stock just over 2,500 fingerling brook trout into the stream.
The South Washington Watershed District received the 2021 Organization Award from the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnerships on January 20, 2021.