 January 2026
Volunteer your time to protect water resources
The Carver County Water Management Organization citizen advisory committee provides input to staff and makes recommendations to the County Board on water resource policies, projects, and programs.
The opening is for a citizen representative from Carver County Commissioner
District 1.
Interested candidates can apply online or contact mseveland@carvercountymn.gov or 952-361-1026 to request a paper application.
Submit your application soon. Appointments are made by end of January.
 If it felt busy during your visit to the Carver County Environmental Center in 2025, that’s because it was the busiest year in program history.
Almost 41,000 residents visited the Environmental Center in 2025, setting a new
all-time record. The previous busiest year was 2017, when yard waste was still accepted at the facility. Those yard waste drop-offs accounted for thousands of visits that year, making the 2025 milestone especially notable.
Even compared to 2024, use of the Environmental Center has continued to grow, with increases across nearly every major material stream.
Residents didn’t just show up more often; they brought more with them. Across major material categories, drop-offs increased by an average of approximately 10 percent compared to the previous year, with especially strong growth in harder-to-manage items like appliances and mattresses. Overall participation also increased by 3 percent, reinforcing the Environmental Center’s role as a critical community resource.
In 2025, residents dropped off more than 154,000 pounds of latex paint and over 34,000 pounds of oil-based paint, along with nearly 42,000 pounds of non-processable paint-related materials. Pesticides remained a major component of the waste stream, totaling more than 28,000 pounds of liquid pesticides and over 1,500 pounds of pesticide aerosols. Additional materials included thousands of pounds of aerosols, driveway sealer, acids, bases, fuels, and other household hazardous waste requiring careful handling and specialized disposal.
These trends are proof that more Carver County residents are choosing to manage waste responsibly and make use of the Environmental Center. Keeping pace is demanding, and in 2025, the Environmental Center delivered during the busiest year in its history.
University of Minnesota Extension's 5th annual pollinator series
January 26, 27, and 28 from 1:00–2:30 p.m.
Free webinar series to learn practical, science-based steps to help pollinators thrive in any space—large or small.
Curious about the best ways to support Minnesota’s native bees and strengthen pollinator habitat where you live? Interested in the newest research on bee health, habitat needs, and conservation strategies? This year’s three-part webinar series from University of Minnesota Extension brings together expert educators, researchers, and Master Gardeners to highlight keystone plants and “Soft Landings” designs, share the latest findings from the UMN Bee Lab, and showcase successful pollinator projects from across the state.
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Pre-registration is required to receive the webinar links.
Aluminum foil and foil pans are valuable recycling materials and can be placed directly in your home recycling bin as long as they are empty and free of food residue. After holiday meals or winter cooking, take a moment to scrape off food and give foil or pans a quick rinse. Food left on metal can contaminate recycling and may cause the material to be discarded. For best results, ball loose foil into a piece about the size of a tennis ball so it can be easily captured during sorting. Recycling clean aluminum saves energy, reduces the need for mining new materials, and helps keep resources in use longer.
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Carver County Water Management Organization installed a fish barrier at Meuwissen Lake, preventing common carp from using the lake as a nursery and using an electrical guidance system at the outlet to remove the fish. These practices resulted in a dramatic reduction in phosphorous and increase in water clarity of the lake. Phosphorous levels used to be 6 times over the state standard and now is under that state standard.
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Since the 1990s, a segment of East Chaska Creek from Spring Peeper Meadow to Big Woods Lake was piped underground. Coordinating with Public Works as part of the 82nd St. construction project, the water management organization designed and funded removing the 310 ft pipe and restoring a 450 ft. stream channel. This new stream channel includes a floodplain and 10 new riffle areas which will help boost aquatic life. The floodplain will help with larger storms, slowing and storing water to prevent erosion of streambanks.
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Goldfish removals over the past 6 years have resulted in a dramatic change in the water quality in Hazeltine Lake. For the first time in over 18 years, aquatic plants such as water lilies have become dominant around the lake helping improve the lake’s water quality. In 2025, phosphorous levels were half of historical averages.
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 Carver County Environmental Services is hosting its annual Feedlot Producer Workshop:
Tuesday, February 24, 2025
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Carver County Public Works Facility
11360 US Highway 212, Cologne, MN 55322
The workshop provides feedlot operators with educational topics and resources beneficial for farming practices and livestock production.
Presenters include Carver County Environmental Services, the Carver County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, University of Minnesota Extension, and Central Bi-Products.
To register for the event, contact Matt Steele msteele@carvercountymn.gov or 952-361-1808.
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