Leaves are natural, so how can they be considered litter?! When leaves fall to the ground, they

naturally decompose and restock the soil with nutrients and organic matter. But what happens when

there is no soil to land on? What happens to those nutrients when leaves land on streets and driveways

where they cannot be recycled into the soil? Here is the short answer: they litter the lake with pollution!

Without any natural soil to soak into, when it rains, nutrients released by decaying leaves are

washed into runoff water which eventually ends up in lakes. Unfortunately, additional nutrients in a lake

are not a good thing. Nutrients like phosphorus fuel the growth of algae, including toxic algae. When

nutrients die off, decomposing organisms use up the oxygen in the water. When this happens, the lake

and its native plant and animal inhabitants suffer—low oxygen can even kill fish.

The good news is you help prevent leaves from littering your favorite lake! Here is what you can

do to turn leaf litter into treasure!

• Leaves make fantastic mulch for your lawn and garden! Use the mower to shred those leaves and leave

them on the lawn to decompose and put that phosphorus back into the soil where it belongs. Add

shredded or whole leaves right to your garden beds to suppress weeds, provide insulation, and nourish

tired soil. It is free and your trees and veggies will thank you.

• If you want to go the extra mile, rake the leaves off your driveway (and street too!) and onto your lawn

before it rains! This could reduce phosphorus in runoff by up to 60 percent, according to a study done by

the University of Minnesota.

• Share your leaves! If you are not into gardening, some municipalities have yard waste and brush drop

sites. Or consider bagging up your leaves and dropping them off at your local community garden!

If leaves do get into the lake, it is best to leave them there—do not use a rake in the water to remove

them. Raking the bottom disturbs the critters living in and on the lake bottom. Raking in the lake also

suspends sediment and phosphorus into the water column, causing violations of state water quality

standards and fueling algae blooms. Thank you for doing your part to not let leaves litter Duck Lake.

Submitted by Pat Moffitt, DLA trustee