Pioneer Press Reports on Stormwater Pollution

This is the story in the Pioneer Press.  aging-stormwater-retention-ponds-trouble-suburbs1

 

Here is basic information on stormwater ponds.

The whole purpose of stormwater ponds is to collect sediment.  The outflowing water is a little bit cleaner but not enough to stop the downstream areas from feeling the effects of dissolved toxic materials, oils, and nutrients.  Stormwater ponds come in two forms.  They are either completely man made by digging a hole in the ground, or they are the result of polluting an existing aquatic resource.  Lily Lake is like all other stormwater ponds in the City of White Bear Lake, a polluted aquatic resource.  These resources had clean water and a diverse and healthy ecosystem before pollution was piped into them.  They are in places where natural groundwater and surface flowages are present.  Removing stormwater pollution will not cause these resources to dry up.  On the contrary, the naturally clean water will once again be prominent and not overshadowed by the polluted water.