Nature provides us with a marvelous built-in filter that naturally protects and cleans our lake and stream water by removing excess phosphorous and nitrogen (nutrients). This built-in filter is often called a shoreline buffer or can also be referred to as a greenbelt.
To protect our water and to keep it clean, having a natural shoreline is the best way everyone can do their part to be good lake stewards.
One way to protect our buffer or greenbelt so it can serve as an effective filter is to allow native plants to grow naturally along the water’s edge to a healthy distance away from the shoreline–at least 10 feet.
These images from our recent drone survey illustrate how to preserve a natural shoreline and still use it for recreation.
GLA encourages those who want to make recreational use of their shoreline to consider using docks, decking, and wood platforms. Adopting this practice will give peace-of-mind knowing you’re doing your part to protect our water quality, keeping native plants and the natural shoreline intact so filtering by the greenbelt can proceed.
Notice the orientation of dock platforms above, allowing good recreational space on the shoreline without having to weed or dump beach sand on the shore.
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