‘The people of Long Lake are very, very happy’

Rainy days once spelled trouble for Minnesota’s Henrietta Township, where untreated storm water runoff regularly introduced sediment and phosphorous into Long Lake. But backed by a $105,000 donation from Enbridge’s Ecofootprint Grant Program, the township and the Hubbard County Soil and Water Conservation District installed a storm-water and erosion reduction system, complete with rain gardens, rock-check dams and retention chambers. “The water is staying in the ditches, and the vegetation has really taken over. It’s been a very successful project . . . the Ecofootprint grant was awesome,” says Russ Johnsrud, Henrietta Township supervisor.