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Lake Front Landscaping PracticesRain Gardens or Buffer Zones: It's all about stormwater runoff.
The Solution is simple............... add a Buffer Zone or Rain Garden to absorb rain water flow and runoff. Lakefront buffer zones are areas of vegetation created near the lake shore to trap sediments, excess nutrients and other pollutants. They also serve to prevent erosion and help stabilize sloped areas of the shoreline. They can be simple and natural or complex and well manicured depending on the taste of the homeowner. The idea is to at least have some kind of vegetation (beside green grass) along the lakefront area - particularly where a slope invites stormwater runoff into the lake. There are many buffer publications available on the web to assist in creating a buffer zone and choosing suitable plants. Native plants are always preferred as they are easily adaptable to the environment, requiring little to no fertilizer and also provide food and habitat to the native animals. A few recommended publications available on the web:
Creating a Rain Garden provides a natural way to contain water runoff. Do you have an area in your yard that turns into a raging river or a sloppy puddle every time it rains? Not only does this racing water often erode soil and create havoc in ones yard, it often causes large amounts of stormwater runoff to directly or indirectly enter the lake. Usually carrying with it large amounts of sediments, fertilizers or other pollutants - all bad for our lake. Building a rain garden simply requires creating a depression in the ground along the path of the water flow that is designed to collect, hold and slowly allow water to re-enter the surrounding ground. This process actually filters the water as it enters the ground water system. The area is typically planted with a variety of plants (preferably native) that mother nature has specifically designed to handle periods of intense moisture alternated with dry spells. The roots of these plants hold the surrounding soil securely in place while the plants themselves offer not only aesthetic appeal but also a habitat to native birds and animals. For more information on how to construct a Rain Garden, consider these sources:
or contact Earthtones Natives Nursery in Woodbury, CT. They specialize in Rain Garden design and installation and are a native plant nursery.
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