No Mow, No Spray, No Dump Signs

The City of Madison Engineering Division will be posting signage along property boundaries of stormwater ponds and greenways in our district reminding residents not to mow, spray pesticides, or dump yard waste, woody brush or other materials on stormwater land.  Yard waste dumped on stormwater land can wash into waterways and clog outlets or cause flooding issues.  Dumping, mowing, and spraying can also encourage invasive weed or algae growth, suppress native plant growth, and attract pests or further dumping.  City staff sometimes encounter pesticide use on stormwater land and frequently encounter dumping of materials such as grass clippings, brush piles, Christmas trees, pumpkins, potted annuals and dog waste, none of which are permitted per Madison General Ordinance, Section MGO 8.15, Regulation of Private Use of Greenways, Park Lands, and the Bike Path.  While mowing into greenways is allowed per MGO 8.15, it is specifically not allowed where we have posted signage prohibiting this activity, such as in ponds and greenways primarily vegetated with native plants.  Most of these signs are being posted along boundaries with newer stormwater land, particularly in newly developed neighborhoods (most within the last 10 years) where vegetation is still establishing and homes may be only a few years old. 

Native plants are the vegetation of choice for stormwater land because they provide superior structural and environmental services.  South Central Wisconsin's native flora is adapted to a wide range of climactic conditions.  Many native species are also deep-rooted and adapted to fluctuating water conditions, able to infiltrate water quickly, hold slopes against erosion, filter pollutants, and play a key role in sustaining a healthy, biodiverse native ecosystem.  Once established, native perennial plants require relatively low inputs to sustain these ecosystem services.  City Engineering staff with backgrounds in ecological restoration maintain these areas with targeted conservation techniques such as invasive species control, prescribed burns and supplemental planting and seeding.  Mowing, dumping or spraying native vegetation—particularly in the first few years of growth, while these plants are just establishing—has sometimes resulted in a failure of native vegetation to fully colonize a site.  Where we are unable to establish sufficient native plant cover on stormwater land, the standard vegetation maintenance regime reverts to a once annual mow and weed colonization may rapidly follow.  By posting signage we hope to avoid such failures and recruit residents' assistance in the successful maintenance of an ecologically diverse and functional stormwater system.  Detailed information on how we manage stormwater vegetation can be found in the Stormwater Utility Vegetation Management Plan: https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/documents/projects/Final%20SWUVegetationPlan.pdf.