Shoreline Erosion Control Project

How would you see this every day when you drive home

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Well you soon might - In 2006 the Valley Lakes Homeowners Association is beginning a multi-year improvement project on the ponds throughout Valley Lakes.

There are 22 man-made retention ponds in Valley Lakes. Their single purpose is to hold and control the flow of water run-off and then release it slowly into the natural waterways that lead to Long Lake, The Chain of Lakes, and downstream to the Fox River.  Excess storm water run-off causes millions of dollars in flood damage each year. While our ponds were designed to cope with the "once in a 100 year worst case flood", the use of turf surrounding the ponds is an ineffective way to maintain shoreline integrity and reduce the accumulation of silt. One of the largest expenses any homeowners association will face, is the cleaning and dredging of ponds to remove excess silt which accumulates and reduces the ability of a pond to properly hold and release water. In Valley Lakes, that expense would be multiplied by 22 times.

In natural landscapes, native plants have deep and fibrous root systems much deeper than turf grass and do a much better job of controlling erosion and reducing silt. Native plants can also serve to filter out chemicals from runoff (lawn fertilizers) that turf grass doesn't fully absorb. When those chemicals get into the water, they greatly reduce the quality of the water and increase the growth of algae.

Native plantings on shorelines can provide a stable, long lasting and aesthetically pleasing alternative to turf grass and need no fertilizer applications or watering once established. Annual maintenance after installation is critical in the establishment of native plants, but after 3-5 years the cost of such management drops significantly. More importantly the, the high cost of dredging and removing silt build-up, while not eliminated completely, is significantly reduced and would need to be done much less often.

The Board has recently hired Tallgrass Restoration to begin a 3 year project to improve the shorelines around two of our ponds. We look forward to the completion of this project and can't wait to see it develop. If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you, please visit our contact page for ways to get in touch with us.

More information on the project is available here including educational materials and updates to the project as it progresses.