By Tim Langer – Lake Management Committee

Recently I’ve been thinking of other ways I can beautify my yard while also helping protect our communities greatest resource. My research led me to a rain garden.

What is a Rain Garden you may ask? Well, a rain garden is an attractive, landscaped area planted with perennial native plants, which don’t mind getting “wet feet.” They are beautiful gardens, built in depressions, which are designed to capture and filter storm water runoff from impervious surfaces around the home, such as rooftops and driveways. Some of the benefits of rain gardens include their ability to perform the following functions: Help keep water clean by filtering storm water runoff before it enters our lake. Help alleviate problems associated with flooding and drainage. Enhance the beauty of individual yards and our community. Provide habitat and food for wildlife including birds and butterflies.

Why do we need Rain Gardens? As we continue to develop the Village of Roaming Shores, impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways and roads shed water. This increases the opportunity for pollution to flow directly into our lake. Some examples of those pollutants include fertilizer, pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings and yard debris. An easy way to help keep these pollutants out of our lake is to install a rain garden.

Installing a rain garden can be a fairly simple process, involving a shovel and a bit of physical energy. The size and style of your rain garden will depend on a number of factors including: the size of your yard, whether you are trying to create a formal or informal looking garden, and the amount of money you want to spend. Remember, you can never have a rain garden which is too small large or too small. Any size rain garden can contribute to solving water quality problems and will be a beautiful addition to your property!

Go native! Using native plants in your rain garden is highly recommended. The benefits of using native plants in your garden are multiple but a few key benefits include their ability to adapt to our local weather and soil conditions and their ability to attract local butterflies and birds. Remember to avoid planting invasive exotic species. While they will grow, they do not belong here.

As I have learned and I hope you do too, a rain garden may be the perfect addition to your yard’s landscape and mine and to our beautiful lake community. If you are interested in learning more about rain gardens, please read the complete Rain Garden Manual by visiting the Geauga County Soil and Water District website www.geaugaswcd.com and look for the Manual under their Publications tab.

Love the Lake and BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE!

Source: Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners, Copyright 2006 Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District

  By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

One only needs to travel to parks with natural lakes and no homes or man-made
structures and see that the water is clear and pristine. But, once we build a house, or for
lake front owners, build a dock, we disturb the natural state of the land. In the 2007
National Lakes Assessment, a study of thousands of lakes across the continental US,
lakeshore habitat changes was the number one stressor for a lake’s biological condition.
When we make changes to the land, we replace porous soil with impervious concrete or
asphalt. We remove local plants and trees and replace then with lawns and open spaces.
All of this makes significant changes in the lake quality. Erosion can become an issue,
introducing sediment into the lake. The natural ability of plants and trees to remove
excess nutrients is eliminated.

So, what can be done? You may have heard the term “buffer zones” or riparian
zones. This is an approach where the area between a lawn and the lakeshore is modified
by planting bushes and materials that will reduce erosion and filter run-off from reaching
the lake. There are numerous articles on the Internet describing the types of plants that
are most beneficial.

As one travels on our lake, you can see that almost all lakefront properties are
unique. The slope of the land, the shape or the shoreline, and the proximity of our
neighbors all make for unique situations. Not every situation can add a buffer zone at the
shore. However, that does not mean that we cannot help. If one is thinking of making
changes to their lawn and shoreline, take a look at the area. Can you use a rip-rap (use of
rocks for shoreline control of erosion) instead of a retaining wall? Are there open areas
next to your dock that you can have plants run up to the shoreline. If you have a steep
slope, can you have a buffer zone before the slope that can trap and prevent the edge from
eroding, and filter run-off from the yard. Think before removing large trees near the
shore.

And, you don’t need to just be on the lakeshore to use this approach. Many lots
back into a field, creek, ditch, culvert or drain, which eventually winds its way into the
lake. Keeping a buffer from the end of the lawn can reduce the run-off from lawns to
keep the nutrient levels in check.

There are numerous examples where this approach has lead to an improvement in
water quality. The Wisconsin Lakeshore Restoration Project is one example. The
Portland Water District has a brochure titled “Lakes Like Less Lawn”, their program for
environmental landscaping for water quality. So, if you are looking to make changes to
your landscaping, consider the design and see if you can include bushes, trees and other
plant material to improve not only your lot but the lake as well.

BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE

  By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

The only way to make informed decisions regarding lake management is to have accurate data. Whether it is the level of nutrients, or toxins, or even a Secchi disk depth measurement, each value requires testing. Testing itself is a multistep process. It involves (1) planning – to decide what to test; (2) sampling; (3) the actual analysis, and finally (4) the interpretation – or what does it all mean. Each step is just as important as the next.

The testing that has been done and continues to be done on our lake is designed for specific purposes. Nutrient and transparency testing (Secchi disk depth) is done to monitor the condition of the lake to see if it is changing. Toxin testing is done to establish the safety of the water for recreational activities. In each case, the testing is done in a specific area selected by an expert to help make informed decisions. But what about the rest of the lake? Based on a listing of Ohio Lakes in Wikipedia, the surface area of Lake Roaming Rock is 464 acres. This calculates to 2.9 billion square inches of water. It is obviously not possible to test at every point on the lake.

However, it is possible for you to become involved. The Sierra Club has a program known as Water Sentinels. Although limited in the testing that is done, this organization can give you proper training – and even the supplies to do the testing. There is also a national program known as the Secchi Dip-In. In this program, people from across the nation take a Secchi depth reading on a specific day each year. You can compare your result with others across the country. There is also a program within the Ohio Lake Management Society known as Citizen Lake Awareness and Monitoring or CLAM. This is a more detailed program involving Secchi disk measurements and bloom identifications. Finally, EnviroScience, Inc., our consultant, has a sampling kit for collection of a water sample for toxin testing. The kit runs around $40, and the toxin testing is an additional $120 per toxin.

Doing your own testing gives you an appreciation for what is involved. If you are interested and want to get your hands wet, there are many options available to you. The Lake Management Committee can put you in touch with each of these programs.

BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE