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Introduction:
People are naturally drawn to water. Everybody has probably
imagined how wonderful it would be to have their yard open
out onto a lake, with a boat tied up at the dock for a quick
escape to sun and fun on the water. Unfortunately, many
people who have turned this dream into reality have found
that it can be less than wonderful to watch their yard slowly
slump into the lake, bringing the lakeshore closer to their
doorstep each year.
Shoreline erosion has several common causes. Home-owners
routinely replace the native plants that are adapted to
shoreline conditions with non-native species like turfgrasses
that are not well-suited to the stresses of the lakeshore.
Dredging and filling associated with development can drastically
change the shoreline slope and reduce the soil's stability.
Additionally, boat-generated waves can increase stress on
the shoreline.
The traditional solution to shoreline erosion problems
has been to place man-made materials on the shoreline. Common
examples of this are seawalls of steel, cement, or railroad
ties; riprap armoring; or strategically placed piles of
broken concrete or asphalt. Makeshift applications often
fail to halt the erosion process, and a well-designed (and
thus effective) seawall or riprap installation can be prohibitively
expensive.
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