Lawn Maintenance

Algae Fishery Invasive Species Lawn Maintenance Lake Security

Maintaining a beautiful lawn while living lakeside can pose unique challenges as everything we apply has the potential to end up in the lake.

Don't Dump!

Dumping yard waste and other debris in your riparian buffers and streams can cause stream blockages, elevate flood stages, and wash sediment and debris (excessive nutrients) into the water bodies.

Never dispose of chemicals in streams, lakes or riparian buggers
Never dispose of branches, leaves, or clippings in the riparian buffers
Remove fallen trees that block flows

Fertilize Wisely

One of the largest challenges with Lake Antioch is the high amount of nutrients, which produce excessive rowth of algae and other undesirable aquatic plants.

Test your soil before fertilizing
Don't apply fertilizer before a rain event
Be P-free with your fertilizers!
Don't apply fertilizers to riparian buffers

The Illinois EPA has an article addressing options for lawn and garden use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Minimize Stormwater Runoff

Impervious surfaces (roofs and driveways) convey runoff and pollution to our waterways. By minimizing impervious surfaces you can reduce the transport of sediment, chemicals, and other pollutants to water.

Disconnect flow from downspouts & sump pumps from the stream or lake and direct to a rain garden or bioswale

Right Plant - Right Place!

Deep rooted native plants and trees have long root systems to keep soils in place, absorb runoff, and filter out pollutants. WHen ground and banks are left bare, soil erodes and washes off into Lake Antioch.

Remove invasive plans from your yard & riparian buffers
Use deep rooted native plans in your landscaping - less water required

Resources

Stream/Soreline Best Management Practices

Before making any stream or shoreline modifications please contact:

Lake Co. Stormwater Management Commission,

500 W. Winchester, Suite 201, Libertyville, IL
60048, (847) 377-7700, www.lakecountyil.gov/stormwater

Plant/Tree Information

Illinois Native Plant Guide, download from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/il/plantsanimals/

Native Tree/Shrub Information at Conserve Lake County website: http://www.conservelakecounty.org/images/pdf/native-trees-and-shrubs-lake-county-illinois.pdf

Tree and plant descriptions—Morton Arboretum: http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions

Purchasing Native Plants—IL Native Plant Society— www.ill-inps.org/

Midwest Invasive Plant Network—Invasive Species Alternatives: http://www.mipn.org/publications

Shoreline Mngt., Pollutants, & Water Quality
Lake Co. Health Department, Lakes Management Unit
(LCHD), 500 W. Winchester Rd. Libertyville, IL 60048,
(847) 377-8000, http://health.lakecountyil.gov/
Population/Pages/Lakes-Management.aspx

Soil Testing
University of Illinois Extension—Grayslake, IL http://extension.illinois.edu/soiltest/

The above information was published on February 2016 by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission

Friends of Lake Antioch

Antioch, Illinois