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Hi Toni

How high above water is the top of bank?

And distance from top of bluff to edge of water?

Would you consider natural rock as something you might be looking for or does that stray too far from natural in this case?

And just so you know, you will be dealing with DNR and County Board of Water and Soil in most cases  (not all).

Dan

I am not an authority by any stretch of the imagination but I think we share a common goal. A natural buffer is essential to maintain excellent water quality for a lake. It has always been my goal to educate lake front homeowners on their responsibility to the lake. Unfortunately many homeowners along the lake shore crave a well manicured green lawn and are happy to apply fertilizer to the lawn. This is not something that is beneficial to the lake or its inhabitants. So here are some hints...

Let nature guide the design, taking your cues for siting and orienting indoor and outdoor spaces from the natural world around you.  Sitting homes away from slopes allows for more suitable use of these areas and decreases the likelihood of erosion.  Land disturbance and building projects in steep areas can cause excessive erosion.  The ideal site provides drainage, wind protection, and convenient access.

Limiting the amount of clearing on your lot will help prevent erosion.  Removing all vegetation from an area for building houses destroys animal habitat and may cause excess runoff.  If you have bare patches of ground, erosion can be reduced by choosing appropriate plant cover, preferably a native species.   Sediment that enters the lake can harm fish and destroy habitats used as spawning areas.

If you look at your natural surroundings you will see there are so many choices other than rip - rap. Natural Stone, River Rock, and so much more. What makes me happy is that you asked the question to begin with.

I have info from the USDA on natural buffers, etc. I  don't know how to get a PDF to you, though..

my website is: www.thegardens.us and see the ABOUT US for my email addy. Then I can send you the info.

Sue in NJ

We use plain ole river stone as rip rap for our cabin to control erosion, its abut as natural as you can get

Thanks for your reply! Looks like we're going to go with nice river stone and replace the old steel wall. Natural stone is of course much better than steel. But I figured out away that I can hopefully have some plantings in it too and not just have a wall of rock. I'd like as natural a look as possible - and I want frogs!

Hi Sue,

I tried, but for some reason I couldn't click on your link to get your e-mail address.  However, I see that you are a dog-lover too, as well as a fantastic gardener. Your dogs are cute!  I used to take my both my dogs kayaking too (one at a time though because he is 90 lbs and she is about 55 lbs, but both well mannered), but now the oldest dog is 16 1/2.

My e-mail address is tonifladmark@yahoo.com if you still have those PDFs handy. Thanks much!

Hi Toni,

I know you've long since resolved this problem but, for whatever benefit these links may provide others who are trying to control shore erosion, the following are websites I bookmarked because they each provide partial or complete possible controls....  Hope they may help!

;-)

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/components/DD6946g.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/waterways/shoreline_habitat/info-erosion.html

http://www.erosioncontrol.com/january-february-2005/shoreline-protection-techniques.aspx

http://lakeerosionrestoration.co/Control_Lake_Erosin.php

http://www.livingbywater.ca/erosion.html