On Thursday, August 31st, Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG) hosted a free workshop entitled "Protecting Your Property and Your Lake: Be Storm Ready with Lake Friendly Practices” in the Nature Center of the Lake St. Catherine State Park.
Managing stormwater runoff and erosion is especially challenging along Lake St. Catherine shorelines due to intensive development with limited areas available for vegetative stormwater treatment practices.
Linda Patterson, Water Quality Educator with LCSG gave a PowerPoint presentation that discussed natural and human factors contributing to stormwater runoff and shoreland erosion, and the detrimental effects of these forces on water quality and animal and plant life.
Methods for controlling erosion and runoff were presented: native vegetation, hard armor (sea walls, boulders), bioengineering (a mixture of vegetation and hard armor), and soft armor (coir logs, matting, etc.).
Participants had the opportunity to describe erosion and runoff issues on their properties, and to ask questions regarding designs and resources for addressing these problems.
To learn more about these methods, please click through the presentation, provided by LCSG:
LCSG recommends that natural vegetation, or a combination of vegetation and soft armor are the preferred methods for optimal water quality protection and erosion control.
Amy Picotte, Lakeshore Manager, Vermont Department Of Environmental Conservation, co-leader of the workshop, provided information on the technical aspects of various control methods and the the steps required to obtain permits for certain approaches.
Amy then led the group outside by on a tour of the shoreline, discussing various erosion control methods recently installed along the embankment of the LSC State Park by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.
We first looked at the buffer zone created by adding a wooden fence and adding some new plants in the area.
Next, we looked at the permeable steps installed on this path. Water will drain down through the stone filled steps.
Finally, we looked at this steep embankment. Plantings were strategically placed to help shore up the soil to prevent further erosion.
Attendees received copies of the Shoreline Stabilization Handbook (click here to download a PDF copy) as well as several other educational fact sheets and flyers. Information on state and local resources was also distributed.
Stormwater runoff is a big issue for LSC. As water runs off properties or through culverts, it carries nitrogen, phosphorus, pet and yard waste into the lake. These are all nutrients for lake weeds. Managing stormwater runoff will help control weed growth.
If you are having erosion or runoff issues on your property, please feel free to reach out to Linda or Amy - they will be able to get you started. You can get in touch with them by clicking on the link attached to their name above.
The LSCA would like to thank LCSG for presenting this workshop to educate new and established property owners about effective management strategies for runoff and erosion control. We hope to have more of these very informative workshops in the future.
