Fountain Lake is green.

Albert Lea city government won’t cough up the $12,000 to treat the lake. It did the job in past years. Some city officials say it’s now the job of the Shell Rock River Watershed District because of the half-cent sales tax it now reaps. Others don’t like the extra work spurred by the new Department of Natural Resources requirement to get approval from at least 50 percent of shoreline property owners.

Meanwhile, one of the things that keeps the lake from turning green would be if property owners didn’t mow their grass along the waterfront. Tall grasses along the shore help absorb run-off of phosphorus and other chemicals. Who owns the most shoreline on Fountain Lake? The city.

The city smartly has a buffer of uncut grasses at City Beach — not by the sandy part, of course — but it should have that same sort of waterfront buffer along all city-owned shore. Sure, the city having buffers alone wouldn’t save the lake from turning green, but it would make a great example to other property owners. And most of all it would show at least the city cares about the lake not turning green. It would make it a whole lot easier for the city to make a stand against paying for treating the lake if it could display conservation and stewardship. Stop mowing the shore like it’s part of one big golf course.

As for who should pay for the lake to be treated, it shouldn’t be the watershed district. The tax money was to clean the lakes. Treating water is a temporary solution and isn’t cleaning it. Technically, the lake is in the county’s jurisdiction and Albert Lea governs the shore. If anything, the city and county should split the cost.