Winona Rain Gardens Address Runoff Problem

Rain gardens are effective in filtering storm water and allowing it to infiltrate the soil, rather than bringing pollutants into large bodies of water

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By Marcia Ratliff

Winona Daily News

Street runoff can bring with it plenty of pollutants, from road salt and lawn fertilizer to grass clippings and illegally dumped chemicals.

Once in the lake, the pollutants — especially phosphorus from plant material and fertilizer — cause aquatic plants to grow too much, resulting in cloudy water at best and harmful algal blooms at worst.

Goodin wanted to do something to reduce lake pollution, so she completed an application for a rain garden grant, offered this year by the city of Winona as part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in Lake Winona.

Read full coverage here.