Spring Lake, a shallow water lake which is part of the Mississippi River just upstream of the lock and dam at Hastings. Part of it is a Minnesota Wildlife management Area. Very scenic and interesting to visit for many reasons including hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and boating. Most of the boating is in shallow draft boats with Mud motors, Canoes, and kayaks. Depending on the season one may find many people on the lake or no one at all. The main channel of the Mississippi runs right through the middle of the lake.

There is one obscure situation on Spring Lake that, when and if observed by people it is mostly ignored. Mostly it floats in the shallows of the river's edge or the back eddy's or on the islands. Eventually, it makes its way downstream with the next spring melt or high water, TRASH. Trash is so common along the lake and in the backwaters that probably most people just accept that it is there. And so what. It is there because somebody didn’t dispose of it properly and it floats in from upstream. What makes up the trash? By the number of items, it is plastic bottles. By volume it is Styrofoam pieces presumably from old dock floats and containers, and empty barrels. Even old rubber tires, some with rims on them. In jest, some people swear they sprout and grow in the shallows of the river and Spring Lake. An assortment of other things are also part of the mix of trash such as old broken chairs, and an assortment of other plastic items too numerous to mention Presumably much of the trash comes through storm sewers from towns and other sources as far upstream as the upper Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. It is thought that old tires come from upstream old ditch and Valley dump sites from pre recycling tire days. Who knows what or how much flows down below water levels such as glass and empty metal and aluminum cans.

A few weeks ago, the H.E.P. group (Hastings Environmental Protectors) and several boaters from Hastings, one from as far away as Edina, spent a Saturday morning doing the 4th cleanup project on the lake. Also, many people worked along the shore line. A dumpster was filled more than halfway with trash. In the past trash cleanup projects with more boaters and on shore trash pickers the dumpsters have been filled completely.

What can be done about the situation? A deposit on plastic bottles would be a big help. Legislatively that seems to go nowhere. Screens on the storm sewers would help but would need periodic cleaning and add to maintenance costs. Public awareness would help tremendously to help initiate some action. This is not only a local environmental degradation situation; this material ends up in our seas. Granted, it is only one major river system and many other and mostly poorer countries do nothing to stem the flow of trash. Does that mean we should do nothing? It is a disgrace to let this trash accumulate when we have the ability to stem the flow of it and be a good example of proper recycling.

Photo submittedBags of trash were collected from Spring Lake at a recent cleanup of the Hastings waterway.