Tag: lake shoreline

Preventing Shoreline Erosion on Your Property

Posted on Camille Smith
Image courtesy of Trevor Terfloth/Postmedia Network

Regardless of location, any coastline can be affected by erosion. When storms, high winds, or other natural forces blow across your lake area, over time, the line that connects land to water starts withering away. While the most damaging conditions tend to affect coastal areas near the ocean, lake homes are no stranger to this issue as well. To learn more about shoreline erosion and how you can help prevent this phenomenon from drastically affecting your lake property, we spoke with a few experts in the field. Check out these tips!

Re-Plant Native Species

Image courtesy of Greenwood Nursery

If there’s one take-home message for understanding gardening at your lake home, it’s the fact that native species will most always thrive. Knowing your gardening zone, you can determine which plants will most easily grow in your area. But did you know this information is helpful for shoreline erosion prevention too?

According to Brian Kearin, founder of Boat Easy, a simple solution is to re-plant native vegetation that was cleared away during construction. “Native vegetation will trap soil in its root system and stabilize the existing shoreline to prevent erosion,” he describes. “Here in South Florida various species of mangroves are common and are incredibly effective at stabilizing shorelines, even in the face of large waves and boat wakes. However, native semi-aquatic plants differ by region. Consult a local landscape expert or learn about native plant species yourself and DIY.”

Buy on the Right Lake

Image courtesy of The Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds

When it comes to owning a lake house and customizing your property, a generalizable lesson is to work alongside nature, not against it. For this reason, it’s important to consider the type of natural shoreline on the lake where you’re investing. Paul Johnson, founder of NorthOutdoors, adds, “Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind when evaluating your shoreline options is to buy on the right lake. Some lakes have sandy shorelines, others have rocky or rip-rap, and others are more grassy or wooded.  If you try to make a shoreline into something it was not intended by nature to be, you will increase your odds of erosion.”

Consider a Vegetated Dune

Image courtesy of Wild South East

If you live on a lake with a beach shoreline, such as one of the Great Lakes, building a vegetated dune might be helpful in warding off shoreline erosion. Paul says, “The dune is meant to create a backstop for larger wave days, but building a steeper “bluff” on the back edge of a beach or shoreline. The key is to vegetate it with perennial grasses or small ground cover, but something that will develop a strong and intertwined root system.” These plants, especially those with sturdy roots, will help create a barrier between your shoreline and risk factors for erosion.

Invest in Rip-Rap Shorelines

Image courtesy of Venice Hauling

If you’re looking for a more hardy solution to shoreline erosion, hiring someone to create a rip-rap shoreline at the edge of your lake property is a smart idea. Aesthetically, a rip-rap shoreline is a set of rocks that guard your yard from crashing waves and high winds. However, the strategy behind the process is more complex. Joe Palumbo from Lakeshore Guys, who installs rip-rap shorelines professionally, comments, “It’s important to note that a proper riprap shoreline is NOT a single row of large boulders placed along the shoreline and it is NOT several stacked rows of large boulders either. It’s a combination of compacted crushed rock (for a non-sandy base) laid down below filter fabric and then natural rocks (which vary 6-30″ in diameter) and it doesn’t exceed an average of 3:1 slope (horizontal to vertical).” While the installation does require a professional, the outcome — an extra-durable landscape — is worth it. 

We hope these tips are helpful in keeping your shoreline strong for years to come!

Who Owns Your Lake Shoreline?

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips
Summer lake house who owns your lake shoreline

Having property on a lake is amazing, but when it comes to the lake shoreline, someone else –  depending on the situation – may own it. For instance, some properties entitle you to use the water, but not to construct a dock or other structure by the shoreline.

Before purchasing a home on the lake, make sure you ask about shoreline ownership.

Power Companies

Power companies often build lakes for hydroelectric power generation and similar uses; this means that the company owns the lake. However, they may allow the land around the lake to be sold or leased. Many times these leases are for long periods of time – such as 100 years (more on that later).

Usually, these lakes are open for recreational use. But, the power companies that own them typically instruct homeowners and visitors to follow certain restrictions and user guidelines. 

Private Property Owner

Say there is a large acreage property with a lake on it. If the lake is situated completely within the land’s perimeter, then the owner of the land also owns the lake. The lake is considered to be private property, and the owner can do with it as they wish.

Another private property example is when a home is on land that extends to the lake shoreline, but the lake itself is not part of the land purchased. 

In this instance, only the property is private. A real estate agent will be able to tell you where the property line ends and where dock construction is permitted. 

In other instances, property owners own the home, the land, and part of the shoreline. If your property includes shoreline ownership, its value could increase. 

Corps of Engineers

U.S. Corps of Engineers
Photo courtesy of The Department of Defense.

Part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ role is “planning, designing, building, and operating locks and dams.”

The Corps owns and operates more than 200 locks and dams throughout the United States, and in many instances owns the lake, shoreline, and property in the immediate area.

Although on some lakes property can be sold for private ownership and use, there are other lakes on which no private construction or ownership is allowed.

However, even if no private construction or ownership is permitted, the Corps usually provides public access boat ramps so that people can still enjoy the lake by boat. They are are also usually public campgrounds and nature areas located nearby.

Leased Lots

As previously mentioned, some entities, like power companies, own a lake and the surrounding land but offer leased lots. These leased lots can be confusing to those who do not have experience dealing with them.

If you buy a home on a power company-owned lake, the home you purchased will be yours. The land, however, may be leased from the power company. But you don’t have to worry about the length of your lease term. Many lakes will lease land in 100-year terms.  

Buying a home on a leased lot is almost a hybrid between an inheritance and a leasing agreement. 

Buyers don’t have to re-negotiate lease terms with every property purchase. Instead lease agreements, responsibilities, and property additions – like boathouses and docks – are “passed down” to the next buyer. 

An important thing to remember about leased lots though is that the original landowner (the utility company) maintains ownership of the land and lake shoreline when leasing terms expire.

Violating shoreline ownership rules and restrictions can result in fees and fines owed.

Before purchasing a home on the lake, ask your real estate agent about the shoreline. Any lake expert agent will be able to tell you who owns the shoreline and what restrictions may be in place.