Maine Lakefront Property Owners Can Get Help to Stop Erosion

The Great Blue Heron: A Reflection of the Health of Our Waters
The Great Blue Heron: A Reflection of the Health of Our Waters
June 26, 2014
Out and About for the Bangor Lakes Region of Maine July 3-9
Out and About for the Bangor Lakes Region of Maine July 3-9
July 2, 2014

Maine Lakefront Property Owners Can Get Help to Stop Erosion

Maine Lakefront Property Owners Can Get Help to Stop Erosion

Midsummer Evening on Great East Lake in Acton, Maine

by Leigh Macmillen Hayes

While on the lake this summer, enjoy the day, but make good choices for the sake of the shoreline. As lakefront property owners, we love the clear water and surrounding scenery. Our lakes and ponds, like Great East Lake in Acton, draw us out to cruise around, ski, wakeboard and tube or race to the next fishing spot. Though these activities are fun and part of the overall picture, it’s possible that the waves we create are causing erosion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The powerful force of waves moves particles toward and away from the shoreline. Even in small ponds, breaking waves created by wind and boats batter the edge and can dislodge sediments, especially if trees and other vegetation have been removed to create a pathway to the water or improve the view. If there is no vegetative buffer, shoreline sediments are washed into the lake and redeposited elsewhere. This,  in turn, causes the water to become turbid, or cloudy, creating an adverse effect on water quality. Turbid or murky water upsets the natural balance and lowers property values.

Sam Wilson, program manager for the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance, says, “Many times when we look out at the lake, we tend to focus on the water and the shoreline. Whether it’s smooth as glass on a calm summer morning, or raging as mightily as the Atlantic on a windy summer day, we can always justify it as beautiful. We focus on the water’s deep blue hue, the massive tree framing a picturesque view, or the boats cruising along the open waters.
What we often fail to focus on is the land surrounding the lake. Exposed roots, bare soils, small gullies, and compacted footpaths have all become a common piece of our picture of the lake. They reveal themselves so slowly that we often don’t even see them, or just assume that they’ve always been there, unchanged. These, however, are the signs of erosion. When soils are eroded into the lake, they bring phosphorus with them, resulting in an increased chance of algae and/or cyanobacteria blooms. This is where the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) comes in.

Since 2006, AWWA has employed a Youth Conservation Corps, or YCC, to stop erosion from entering the lakes in the border region of Acton, ME and Wakefield, NH. As program manager, Wilson meets with landowners, at no charge, to come up with a design that fits the needs of the site while paying attention to aesthetic desires. The landowner can then apply to be a YCC Project Host; they pay for the materials and the YCC installs the fixes at no charge. Fixes include erosion control features such as rain gardens, rubber razor blades, waterbars and dripline trenches. By allowing water to settle and infiltrate into the soil naturally, the AWWA YCC has prevented an estimated 301 tons of sediment from entering the lakes of Maine and New Hampshire at 148 different project sites.”

Other lake associations have similar programs, so check with yours to find out what you can do to improve your lakefront and prevent further erosion.

To learn more about lakefront properties for sale on Great East Lake in Acton, click on the green box above.

To learn more about the Acton area, check out the blog links below.

Great East Lake is Acton, Maine’s Golden Pond

Must See Gems on Balch Lake in Newfield and Acton, Maine

Stay Informed

Get the latest lake news delivered direct from Maine’s lake expert, Tom Ferent