Control Erosion with Bioengineered Living Shorelines and Hillsides
If you own or manage a lake or pond, you know shoreline erosion is an unavoidable issue that can be particularly evident at the end of a busy summer. In addition to the unsightly appearance, erosion can cause poor water quality conditions, reduce property values, and pose a danger for homeowners and community members. To address these issues as the cooler winter weather arrives, it’s important to analyze your shoreline for erosion damage and develop a restoration plan that can be executed during this period of downtime.
In recent years, new innovative technologies have been developed to restore lakes and ponds with struggling shorelines. SOLitude is proud to provide SOX Erosion Solutions as a premium offering. The patented SOX system serves as an innovative, eco-friendly option to halt deterioration and create a natural foundation for sod or beneficial vegetation.
- SOX Erosion Solution Install
One benefit of this knitted mesh technology is that it will not rip or lose its integrity over time, but rather, continue to hold the earth in place. Additionally, the bioengineered system can be filled with dredged materials from an adjacent waterbody or locally sourced from the site itself, removing the need for sediment disposal or transport to other areas. Once filled and secured, a native buffer of beneficial vegetation can be planted or sodded through the system. This makes it an excellent solution for re-stabilizing and restoring shores of waterbodies in communities and golf courses.
Beneficial vegetative buffers accomplish a number of important tasks: they facilitate the filtration of excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which typically enter the water column in the form of stormwater runoff. Pond buffers also prevent pets and nuisance wildlife, like geese, from entering your waterbody. Finally, the deep roots of native plants help keep soil in place, preventing sedimentation and the water quality problems that occur because of it. Appropriate buffer plants will vary depending on the region in which you live, but we typically recommend pickerelweed, blueflag iris, cardinal flower, duck potato, swamp milkweed, and native sedges and rushes.
View a detailed list of recommended buffer plants.
Weak and damaged shorelines can reduce property values and can threaten compliance with stormwater regulations. Likewise, eroded banks often signify that your waterbody is approaching the end of its lifespan. Whether you would like to address an existing erosion problem or reinforce the strength and appearance of your lake, pond, canal, or hillside, it’s important to stay ahead of sedimentation problems with a bioengineered living shoreline.
Shoreline Restoration Benefits
SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty and preserve natural resources. SOLitude’s team of aquatic scientists specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs. Services include water quality testing and restoration, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, shoreline erosion control, muck and sediment removal and invasive species management. SOLitude partners with homeowners associations, golf courses, private landowners, businesses and municipalities. SOLitude Lake Management is part of Rentokil, a leading business services company, operating across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit SOLitude Lake Management at solitudelakemanagement.com, and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
