Author: Administrator -Clerk-Treasurer

Car Washing Tips

Washing one vehicle may not seem like an issue, but collective residential
car washing can add up to a big problem for local water bodies. If you
choose to wash your vehicle at home, wash on an area that absorbs water,
like gravel or grass. This can filter dirty wash water before it enters
groundwater, storm drains, or rivers. Be sure to use biodegradable,
phosphate-free, water-based cleaners and always empty wash buckets into
sinks or toilets.

Visit https://RenewOurWaters.org for more tips!

Grass Swale: The waterway in your yard

Often inaccurately called ditches, swales are actually stormwater structures! Swales carry water away from roadways while promoting infiltration. Slowing down rain water and encouraging ponding is good because it allows water to soak into the ground, with soil and plant roots trapping water pollution.
If you have a swale on your property, you can help keep it working properly to protect our waters by:

• removing trash
• reporting any signs of water pollution to your municipality
• never replacing the grass or modifying the shape of the swale
• preventing off-street parking or other activities that may cause rutting or compaction of soil in the swale

Grass clippings contain phosphorus,

the nutrient that turns our lakes and rivers green with algae. Excess nutrients entering storm drains can even increase toxic algal blooms. For a healthy lawn and cleaner waters this summer, follow these tips:

• Mow often – Taller grass has deeper roots that prevent soil loss and help rain soak in. Cut no more than 1/3 the length of the grass each time you mow.
• Don’t bag – Leave clippings on your lawn to keep soil moist and return nutrients over time, use clippings as garden mulch, or compost them instead.
• Sweep it up – If clippings get in the street or on sidewalks, sweep them back onto your lawn so they don’t get washed into storm drains when it rains.

Visit RenewOurWaters.org for more tips!

Managing vegetation around electric transmission lines

American Transmission Company’s (ATC) vegetation management practices focus on public safety and keeping the lights on.

Additional details on this link

Household Hazardous Waste

2024 Schedule

• May 8th & 11th
• June 12th & 15th
• July 17th & 20th
• August 14th & 17th
• September 11th & 14th
• October 2nd & 5th

When not correctly disposed of, common household products that may be corrosive, flammable, toxic, or reactive can get into our waterways. To avoid the human health and environmental risks associated with household hazardous wastes, always monitor the use, storage, and disposal of products with potentially dangerous substances. Check with your municipality or county for disposal advice and waste collection programs.

Brought to you by the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
Visit us on facebook or Instagram

Prescribed prairie burns…

will take place on the storm water detention ponds in the Coonen Subdivision.  The burns will be managed by Fox Valley Technical College Fire Fighter students.  The burns are scheduled for April or May, when the weather conditions are appropriate.

The benefits of prairie burns are listed below.

• Reduces invasive species by directly killing or setting back the plants by removing the spring top growth.
• Increases seed production of wild flowers and prairie grasses by two to eight times the first growing season immediately after a burn.
• Controls woody vegetation and prevents the prairie from converting to a woods or shrub land.
• Recycles nutrients and removes nitrogen, that is tied up in the thatch that builds on the soil surface over the years.
• Increases seed germination rates by removing the thatch layer which creates a new seedbed and in increases soil temperatures the first year (thatch layer traps moisture and insulates the soil, creating cooler growing conditions).
• Increases the diversity of plant species.
• Reduces the conditions favorable for the growth of cool season invasive species (such as Kentucky blue grass, fescues, clovers and more) by increasing the soil temperature.
• Improves habitat for beneficial wildlife species.
• Maintains high quality aesthetics of the landscape for the public to view.
• Economical – most cost-effective management tool.
• Enhances and maintains a highly functional prairie which is fire dependent.

Additional information on Wisconsin DNR site

Dog Licenses – Due by April 1st Every Year

Annual Dog License Available for purchase
Due 4/1/2024

Village of Combined Locks Clerk’s Office – 405 Wallace Street

License fees:

• $5 late fee for dogs registered after April 1st.
• $7 neutered or spayed dogs
• $12 unalterded dogs

Rabies vaccine must show an expiration date of April 1st of the license year or later.

Carpet Cleaning

To keep our waters clean, keep your dirty water out.

renewourwaters.org

Check out more on Renew Our Waters.

Recycle Right with Tri-County Recycling

Read the full guide

• Recycle items loosely in your cart
• Empty, rinse and replace caps on bottles, jars and containers
• Flatten cardboard boxes and cut to no larger than 2′ by 2′

Village of Combined Locks Comprehensive Plan Survey – 2045

Complete the survey