Your preferred dry cleaner?

Stillwater's Lake McKusick had a phosphorous problem.Too much of the nutrient was being carried by runoff from rooftops, driveways and streets into storm sewers and directly into the 50-acre lake, which became cloudy and overgrown with algae and wound up in 2006 on the state's "impaired" list.Among the fixes local leaders employed: a $20,000 grant in 2011 from the state's Clean Water Fund to install six rain gardens where runoff could soak in and pollutants could filter out naturally.In came more than $5,000 in plants and a similar amount for "pre-treatment chambers" to provide additional filtration. More than $2,000 each was spent on retaining walls, edgers and excavation.

In part because of those efforts,D900 CANSCAN the lake's nutrient load went down and clarity improved, and the lake was taken off the impaired waters list for excess nutrients in 2012.Minnesota can regulate what factories and water-treatment plants put into its rivers and lakes. The state has not, though, found an effective way to tackle one of the biggest contributors to polluted waterways: Farms.Roughly 85 percent of the state's water pollution comes from "nonpoint" sources, according to state officials, and agriculture is a key contributor. Officials are left to ask landowners to voluntarily follow conservation guidelines."For years, we've kind of been dependent upon these random acts of conservation," Merriam said.

The Legislature could pass laws or agencies could adopt rules requiring farmers to adopt conservation practices and pay their share of cleanup costs, but that would be a political challenge."Not in the foreseeable future; I don't think there's the political support for regulating agricultural production," Merriam said.Last session,MaxiDiag PRO MD801 the Legislature established a water certification program with Clean Water Fund money. Farmers who follow certain principles can be certified for up to 10 years as an environmentally sound user of water.Officials hope the program will encourage more farmers to adopt conservation practices. If not, some politically acceptable version of regulation may be needed.