Water Stewards Program Will Teach SLP Residents to Fight Stormwater Runoff

A program designed to train volunteers to become "master water stewards"—reducing the flow of bacteria, salt, litter, sediment, fertilizer and other pollutants into rivers, lakes and wetlands—is expanding in 2014 to St. Louis Park and other western suburbs along Minnehaha Creek.

The Master Water Stewards program is wrapping up its debut year in Minneapolis, where 25 volunteers were trained and certified to counsel their neighbors about how best to fight stormwater runoff. Participants take 50 hours of free training in evening classes over the course of a year and commit to volunteering 50 hours the following year.

“It’s not just about getting a certification and then talking to neighbors,” Peggy Knapp of the non-profit Freshwater Society, which organized the classes, told the Star Tribune. “We’re asking people to take action, which we think is really attractive to a lot of folks.”

Reduce pollution coming from your yard

• Use native plants when you can
• Reduce or eliminate fertilizers and pesticides
• Reduce the amount of turf, or lawn areas especially if you live along a water body
• Rainscaping tips- (Iowa)

Capture your stormwater

• Direct your rain gutters to the lawn or other garden areas
• Install a rainbarrel and harvest that free water for your gardens
• Replace hard surfaces like pavers and concrete walkways with paths that absorb water