Eleanor Burkett, University of Minnesota Extension Service, Brainerd Regional Center, (888) 241- 0720

Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, wetlands and other natural areas are hot real estate these days. Development along these waters is reducing clarity, vegetation, and fish and wildlife habitat at an astounding rate. What was once an occasional small cabin along a wild shore has become a ribbon of structures and paved areas circling a lake.

All this construction has added rooftops, roads, walkways, decks, parking areas and driveways, increasing the amount of impervious surfaces. Rainwater and snowmelt normally infiltrate (are absorbed) into the soil; impervious surfaces reduce the amount of water that can seep into the soil and often funnel runoff carrying roof and road containments, soil particles, and nutrients into lakes, rivers, or wetlands. Impervious surfaces can contribute to increased erosion and sedimentation. They can also increase water temperatures by adding warmed water from roads and parking lots, affecting aquatic plants and animals.

Property owners can take steps to reduce runoff flowing directly into lakes, rivers and wetlands through planning and landscaping. Here are some suggestions:

Reduce the amount of impervious surfaces

choose gravel or pervious materials for driveways, parking areas and walkways

use stepping stones or mulch for walkways instead of concrete, and use a “S” shaped walkway rather than a straight (funneling) pattern when creating a path to the water

Divert rain and snowmelt and encourage infiltration

slope paved surfaces so water flows into vegetated ditches

direct rain from gutters and down spouts to rain gardens

Make use of vegetation

minimize lawns - stop mowing a strip of land near the shoreline

plant a vegetative buffer strip using native plants such as grasses, forbs, trees and shrubs (extremely effective in slowing runoff, absorbing nutrients and breaking down pollutants)

preserve trees and natural vegetation – native vegetation is cheap and easy, the less disturbance near a shoreline the better

minimize land disturbances – and use precautions such as silt fences if a land disturbance is necessary

If you have questions about impervious surfaces, check with your local Soil and Water Conservation District, county planning and zoning department, or environmental services department. Other resources include:

• Shoreland Management Resource Guide
• Board of Water and Soil Resources
• Minnesota Polution Control Agency
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Minnesota Erosion Control Agency
• Protecting Our Waters, Shoreland Best Management Practices Fact Sheet #8: Minimizing Runoff from Shoreland Property. 1998. University of Minnesota Extension Service, St. Paul
• Rain Gardens: A How-to Manual for Homeowners. University of Wisconsin Extension, Madision
• Frequently asked questions about pervious surfaces. Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials
• Sustainable Drainage Systems

Posted in Care of Shoreland Property |