Replacing Walls on Lakeshores

ACD recently completed a lakeshore project on Crooked Lake to replace a failing retaining wall. It's one of several such project where tumbling walls left an eroding shoreline. Now, these shorelines are gradually sloped and feature in-lake aquatic emergent plants and an upland native plant buffer. Shoreline walls are prone to failure and are generally not allowed by the MNDNR. Walls on shorelines tend to get undermined by waves and walls also eliminate shoreline features that provide valuable habitat for wildlife. 

At the Crooked Lake project site, the steep shoreline was addressed with geogrid textile instead of a wall. The honeycomb-like matrix (pictured above) is set just below the soil and helps hold soils in place on steeper slopes. The geogrid is invisible after construction and adds another layer of stability. This Crooked Lake project utilized a new funding source: legislatively approved soil and water conservation district aid. This new funding requires less administration so that we can put more of it into projects. Additional project funding came from the landowners. For more information contact Jamie Schurbon, Watershed Projects Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.