Buffer
Zones Are Important for our Lake’s Health
Although
we cannot all be limnologists (lake scientists), we encourage everyone that
lives on our lake to learn some basics that can make a difference in our
long-term water quality. Vegetated
buffers, or areas of vegetation situated between the built environment and the
water, trap sediments, excess nutrients, and other pollutants, prevent erosion,
and help to stabilize sloped areas and the shoreline. Pollutant removal is most
effective when runoff is directed as slow, diffuse flow through a vegetated
margin along the shoreline.
Nutrients,
principally phosphorous, will accelerate eutrophication, which will eventually
turn our lake into a meadow similar to some of the Stockwell Ponds. Phosphorous
also fertilizes our non-native plant species and algae causing us to increase
treatments to the lake. If you use
fertilizer on your lawn, please use a product with no phosphorous (“0” for
the middle number) as has been pointed out in other newsletter articles. Even if
you use a lake-friendly fertilizer, a buffer between your lawn and the shore can
help remove nutrients and sediments from surface runoff, especially if you have
a slope running right down to the water.
Currently,
all lake-front property owners have septic systems.
Even with perfectly performing systems, nutrients including phosphorous
will make their way underground to the lake. Trees along the shoreline, with
their deep root systems, will remove some of these nutrients and prevent them
from entering the lake. Trees also
stabilize the soil, deflect rain to reduce erosion, and provide shade for the
shallows.
If
native trees and shrubs already exist along the shoreline, leave them
undisturbed. We should all consider improving our buffers.
To learn how, please consult the following links to the internet which
provide far more excellent information that we can provide in our newsletter.
The following links give specific guidance for construction and what are the
best trees and plants to utilize.
This
link to Maine’s site has excellent practical information:
http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docwatershed/bufa.htm
This
link will get you to the Massachusetts Buffer Manual:
http://berkshireplanning.org/4/1/#buf
Webster Lake also has good information on buffers on their very nice website. Navigate to “What you can do to help” under “Environmental Issues” and click on “Vegetated Phosphorous Buffer Strips”