We Have To Clean Up Our Lakes

From the WI State Journal HERE

...It took decades to solve that problem, partially because even the early sewage treatment plants discharged water back into the lakes and the treated sewer water acted as fertilizer, encouraging the growth of algae and weeds. It wasn't until 1952, Mollenhoff says, that Lake Monona became effluent free.

...Today's "sewers" do not involve pipes leading from flush toilets to the lakes. Instead, our lakes have become depositories of runoff from surrounding farms, collection pools for the fertilizers we put on our lawns and floodplains for heavy rainfall to the north of us.

Take a look at Lake Mendota today. You'll see some boats buzzing around, but not too many. Some shore front homeowners have taken their piers down and put their boats in storage for the season. Others have boats sitting up on hoists above the water, but the piers connecting shore to boats are gone.