Have you wondered how you can improve the water quality of the Winnebago Waterways from home?

There are a few different options available to you as a shoreline property owner – and urban property owner.

One of the easiest practices you can implement is adding a rain barrel to your downspouts.

Rain barrels help capture that water as it leaves your roof and stores it for reuse at your convenience. Holding on to that water helps cool it before it runs to our storm drains, streams, and lakes. Hot water can be quite harmful to our aquatic life.

While rain barrels are great, once they fill, water continues to flow out the downspout.

The next step to improve the water leaving your property is to add rain gardens below your downspouts or in areas where concentrated water flows through your property. Rain gardens should not be added into areas where you have standing water because those spots already have poor drainage.

Rain gardens are built based on area that is being drained to them and the soil type. This allows these gardens to properly hold the water, slowing and stopping it from reaching our storm drains, streams, and lakes.

Most people become concerned about mosquitos when installing rain gardens. Mosquitos need at least 7 days of standing water to reproduce and rain gardens are built in a way to allow the water to be completely infiltrated in 1-2 days.

If you are one of the lucky individuals who gets to call the shores of Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne, Lake Butte des Morts, or Lake Winnebago home, we suggest adding native plant buffers, at least 8 feet wide, starting at the ordinary high water mark.

These plantings can be made to fit your shoreline interests. Do you want something that doesn’t grow higher than 2-3 feet? Do you want to attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies? Do you want to focus on native grasses and sedges? There is an option for you to improve your shoreline!

Have we peaked your interest? Do you need help taking that next step? We are here to help!

The Winnebago Waterways program of the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance offers site visits within the Winnebago Waterways Recovery Area.

Through our Kick Start Implementation grant we are able to offer these services and we are happy to help! We can offer suggestions for plants, help plan shoreline buffers and some rain gardens, and assist with next steps including pursuing cost share.

There are a couple different options for cost share funding.

Depending on the county you reside, your Land and Water Conservation Department may offer cost sharing for shoreline projects. There is currently cost share funding available for native plant buffers, rain gardens, and shoreline erosion. Again, based on your county, the opportunities vary and we are happy to share information and connect you with right people!

Feel free to check out each counties program.

Another cost share funding opportunity available to property owners is the Healthy Lakes grant program. This program will fund up to $1000/year for 5 practices. These practices include 350 square foot plantings, rain gardens, fish sticks, diversions, and rock infiltration.

An individual is unable to access Healthy Lakes funds by themselves but the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is willing to work with property owners around the system to apply for Healthy Lakes grants on their behalf.

A maximum of $25,000 can be applied for each year. This could mean 25 people adding 1 project a year OR fewer than 25 people adding more than one practice.

You can learn more about each practice here.

Not interested in cost share? Great! We’re still happy to do a site visit and offer suggestions.

If you are interested in learning more about any of the above information, please contact Emily Henrigillis emily@fwwa.org of 920-851-6472