Water Project

The City of Lakes
With water comprising 16% of the city’s total area, Amery has certainly earned its title of “The City of Lakes”.  Aside from being a catchy tagline, though, what does this water-based designation mean for Amery residents?

It means that we get to enjoy the aesthetic and recreational values of these bodies of water, for better or for worse. Water quality is a direct result of the land use within a lake’s watershed (area of land that drains to a particular lake), so we get out of the lakes what we put into them. It is up to us, as residents of the Amery area, to make sure that our contributions to the lakes are good ones.
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Runoff
On an individual basis, this means managing the stormwater runoff from your property. For those with lakefront property, you can see the connection between your stormwater and the lake: the drainage is direct. For those who can’t see the lake from the living room window, it may seem as if your property is too far away from Amery’s lakes to affect them but this is not the case.

The storm sewer system in Amery collects water from the city’s streets, sidewalks, roofs, and yards and carries the stormwater underground, and releases it directly into the lakes. For properties beyond the storm sewer system, runoff water flows over the ground surface and into the lakes.
Drainage
Every property in the Amery Lakes drainage area, whether it is 5 feet from the water or 500, has an impact on the water quality in the lakes. The drainage map shows the Amery Clean Lakes Drainage Area, highlighted in yellow. Since every developed lot contains at least some disturbed areas or impervious surfaces, every lot in the Amery Lakes drainage area contributes to the quality of stormwater runoff that reaches the lakes. These contributions may be positive or negative, so it’s up to you to decide how your property’s runoff impacts the lakes. 
Map of Polk County suggesting Amery Residency