For James Tye, executive director of the Clean Lakes Alliance, his connection to the lakes runs deep, as he grew up swimming, waterskiing and sailing on Lake Mendota. As a lifelong Madison resident, he has seen many changes in the Yahara lakes over the years, and is excited to now have the opportunity to work on their behalf.
What is the Clean Lakes Alliance?
We’re a quality of life organization that’s working to protect and improve the health of our local lakes, rivers and
wetlands. With community partners like Dane County, Yahara Pride Farms and Yahara WINs, we’ve made it 20 percent of the way to our Yahara CLEAN goal to reduce phosphorus pollution by 46,200 pounds by the year 2025.
We see a future where everyone recognizes that the lakes are the center of our community. If that’s true, our lakes will be healthy.
What impact do our lakes have on our communities, lifestyles, economic health, environment?
In Madison, the health of our lakes and the health of our economy are intertwined. They are a recruiting tool for the businesses that call Greater Madison home, they’re an economic driver, they provide ecosystem services and they’re what make Madison like no other city in the United States. In 2014, we did a study that showed that every 1,000 visitors to lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa are responsible for the creation of two jobs and $150,000 in economic output. Madison would not be here without them.
What is the current state of Madison area lakes?
Thanks to concerted efforts by our local governments, residents and farm communities, water quality is holding steady or improving, despite challenges like urbanization and climate-driven rainstorms. So far this year, we’ve seen better clarity than usual thanks in part to less rain, which means less runoff.
If you’re wondering what water conditions are like on any given day, you can also check lakeforecast.org. It’s a partnership project to get near real-time information about our lakes to the public. You can see whether lifeguards are on duty or if a blue-green algae bloom has been spotted near you.
Madison is the birthplace of freshwater science (the UW-Madison Center for Limnology) and we have some of the most studied lakes in the world. This partnership means more people have access to this wealth of information. Learn more: Visit lakeforecast.org for up-to-the-minute water conditions at more than 70 beaches and lake access points around lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa.
What are the biggest threats to our lakes?
The biggest threat to our lakes at the moment is phosphorus pollution. Phosphorus is a common nutrient that feeds lake weeds, drives smelly algae blooms and closes our beaches. Just one pound of phosphorus can create up to 500 pounds of algae. If we can keep phosphorus out of our lakes, water quality will improve. Drought years have proven this to be true, though of course we can’t rely on the weather to keep our lakes clear.
What initiatives is Clean Lakes Alliance working on?
We just purchased 2.3 miles of buffer strips between farm fields and creeks north of Lake Mendota. The buffers are at the minimum 35 feet wide. We’re working with partners on initiatives to address legacy sediment, leaf management and manure management. This includes a pilot to measure the impact of windrow manure composting, leaf management project partnerships with municipalities and funding to remove built-up sediment that’s at risk for being washed into the lakes.
Of course, we can’t do anything without broad community support. That’s where our community initiatives come into play: community friend and fundraisers, our science speaker cafés that present on timely issues and programs like the Lake Explorer Camp that get kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County on the lakes.
Learn more: Attend a Clean Lakes Alliance event to learn more and get involved, listed at cleanlakesalliance.org/events.
What does the future look like for our lakes?
In 2012, we published a 14-point action plan with clear, cost-effective and achievable actions to reduce phosphorus pollution by 46,200 pounds. We have collaboration and commitment from Dane County, the City of Madison and other municipalities; Yahara Pride Farmers; and hundreds of businesses and residents. We’ve made it 20 percent of the way towards the Yahara CLEAN goal, and we know what challenges we’re facing. Thanks to Yahara Watershed Improvement Network, we’re the first community in the nation to implement a program that directly funds conservation practices on the land to reduce nutrient pollution at the source. Nutrient pollution has never been such a priority on a national scale. We’ve got a ways to go but the future is promising!
What can homeowners (both on the lake and off the lake) do to protect our lakes?
The biggest, easy thing you can do is keep leaves out of the street in front of your home, especially in the fall and the spring. It’s surprising, but true! Leaves are a huge contributor of phosphorus to our stormwater in urban areas.
Our storm sewers run untreated into our lakes, which means that everyone’s home is really “on the lake,” and anyone can make a difference. We want to create a new norm, where letting leaves lie in the street is unacceptable.
If you have lakefront property, shoreline habitat is also very important and often ignored or misunderstood. We have resources on our website for anyone looking to improve their shoreline, for their own benefit and for greater water quality issues.
Learn more: Explore resources for residents, available at cleanlakesalliance.org/what-can-i-do.
How can people get involved or support Clean Lakes Alliance?
I encourage anyone who cares about our lakes or who wants to get more involved to take the first step by becoming a Friend of Clean Lakes. Donations start at $100 for a family and go directly to ourphosphorus reduction efforts.
I also encourage everyone to attend one of our events. Getting involved at any level is a good start.