The state is providing more than $1 million in grants to help clean lakes and rivers across Washington County and restore their surrounding areas.

The money will come from state Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment funds. The money is raised through a 0.375 percent sales tax that was approved by voters back in 2008. The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources has the job of deciding how to spend the money.

“Since I live on a lake the fact that people are cleaning up the lakes in the local area and making them better and safer is really important and cool for me to see,” said junior Mary Korlin-Downs.

According to Score guard the leading causes of water pollution include 80 percent from agriculture, 23 percent from constructions, 23 percent from Hydromodification/habitat modification, 13 percent from natural sources and the rest is from an array of different things such as silviculture.

Among the lakes and rivers that are going to be cleaned, the most exciting is probably the St. Croix River.

“Boating on the river is always so much fun and now that they are making efforts to clean up the water I think it will increase the amount of people who want to swim in the river and also make it more fun because it won’t be gross,” said junior Carter Sanderson.

The clean water act will help clean lakes and rivers around the Washington County area and improvements will start being made. One is going to modify an existing wetland in Bixby Park in hopes to improve the quality of the water and reduce dissolved phosphorus. Another project is going to clean storm water that runs off into Clear Lake, which will prevent substances that could form into algae blooms.

Taking all the necessary measures to clean the surrounding lakes and rivers is very important for future generations, and although it is expensive it is a good investment that will generate successful results for the future.