Shoreline Restorations & Rain Gardens

Improving the recreational suitability and lake life for everyone  starts right at your shoreline. Shorelines provide pollutants a direct  path to easily enter the lake. ‘Lakescaping’, or shoreline restoration,  can create a natural buffer that is both beautiful as well as beneficial  to slowing and eliminating the amount of runoff entering the lake. The  East Polk SWCD works with Prairie Restorations Inc. for shoreline  restorations and cost-share may be available for qualified projects.

Other  ways to prevent runoff from entering the lake are rain barrels or rain  gardens. Rain barrels can be used to collect the rainwater from gutters  which can then be used to water your plants or garden (See the Education  Page). Rain gardens are placed in naturally low areas of the yard and  are used to catch and store the water thus eliminating runoff to the  lake.