Excerpted from Living Green 365 e-newsletter:

What you can do

There are dozens of things you can do at home to improve or protect water in our state–even if you don’t live close to a lake or river! Challenge yourself to do at least one of these actions for water quality this spring.

•  Plant a rain garden. A rain garden allows stormwater to soak into the ground before it runs off. The Blue Thumb Guide to Raingardens leads you through the steps of designing and installing a rain garden.
• Replace a sidewalk, driveway, or patio. Rain will not soak through your roof, driveway, or regular brick patio. These surfaces are impermeable. When you are planning changes to your house or lot, think about reducing the size of these impermeable surfaces. For areas where hard surfaces are necessary, consider pavers that let water through.
• Install a rain barrel. Rain barrels can be fancy or simple, but the basic structure is to have a barrel at the end of a downspout. The barrel has a spigot or hose that you can use to water your garden or yard.
• Plant a tree. Trees slow down rain as it falls through their canopy, thereby reducing erosion. They also hold soil in place with their roots and absorb lots of water. Visit www.MNtrees.org for information about growing and caring for trees.
• Maintain your septic system. Septic systems that work properly minimize the risk of leaks and contaminating the groundwater. Learn how your system works and what to do to maintain it on the U of M Extension’s Septic System webpage: http://septic.umn.edu/owners/index.htm.
• Always pick up after your dog. Though dog waste may be “natural,” the volume of dog poop in our cities and its location–next to sidewalks and storm drains–is not. If dog waste is not picked up, rain washes bacteria and extra “fertilizer” into our water.
• Hook up with your local watershed district to get involved. Watershed districts are local, special-purpose units of government that work to solve and prevent water-related problems. Your watershed district can connect you with projects and volunteer opportunities in your area.
• Volunteer to monitor a lake or stream.  Monitoring our lakes and streams allows the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to better protect and restore Minnesota’s water. Read about the MPCA’s citizen monitoring program.