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Water Resource Protection
Much of our area’s abundant beauty can be attributed to its natural waterways. In addition to Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay, and Little Traverse Bay, the region is endowed with numerous lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. Waterways and shorelines played a key role in the region’s history and culture. Today, water quality, scenery, habitat, and recreational opportunities are recognized as crucial elements of our region’s natural character and economic base. Shared waterfronts provide residents and visitors an opportunity to enjoy our lakes, rivers, and streams: trails and riverwalks offer public access while protecting sensitive vegetation along the shorelines.
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Shoreline Appearance & Landscape
Shorelines are one of our area’s most cherished natural assets. Diverse and varied in character, areas adjoining lakes, rivers, and streams range from tall sand dunes and marshy wetlands, to rocky beaches and densely wooded forests. While constantly changing dunes may be visually distinctive, the region’s vegetated shorelines offer greater natural resource protection. Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants help stabilize shorelines and minimize erosion, as well as provide habitat for coastal species.
To preserve these natural systems, shoreline areas should remain natural to the greatest extent possible. Even in urban areas, indigenous vegetation should be retained as a natural filter system, while emergent vegetation such as cattails and bulrushes can reduce shoreline erosion caused by stormwater runoff, wind, and boat traffic.
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Stream with natural shorelines
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Buffering Shorelines
Maintaining or establishing shoreline buffers is a proven method for protecting water resources. Buffers consist of a vegetation strip of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants along shorelines to stabilize shorelines, minimize runoff pollution, provide wildlife habitat, and preserve natural scenic beauty. Shaded stream banks keep water cool benefitting cold water species such as trout. Water views can be created without damaging the effectiveness of shoreline buffers.
When establishing a shoreline buffer, consult with a landscape architect, conservation district, or horticulturalist to determine which plants will be most effective depending on the site’s slope, amount of moisture, and soil type. Local jurisdictions are encouraged to establish ordinances specifying the extent to which shoreline vegetation may be removed.
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Buildings set back from shoreline with vegetated buffer, Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County
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Shoreline Building Placement
In order to protect the environmental and aesthetic quality of our region, local jurisdictions should require buildings be clustered and set back from shorelines to allow for an effective natural buffer zone to protect water quality and wetland habitats. Additional benefits from building setbacks include more potential for open space along the water, a more natural appearing shoreline, and longer building life in areas at high risk for coastal erosion.
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Natural streamside vegetation maintained in commercial development, Garfield Township, Grand Traverse County
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Reducing Costs
Retaining natural vegetation can contribute to a reduction in landscaping maintenance costs (e.g., mowing, irrigation, fertilizers).
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Wetlands
Wetlands are an essential element in protecting the region’s water quality. Retaining wetlands as part of a natural stormwater or open space system lessens infrastructure costs and flooding frequency. It also increases open space and wildlife habitat.
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Non-Point Source Pollution
Protecting water quality includes addressing non-point source pollution, which can degrade the quality of our region’s rivers, lakes, and bays. Non-point source pollution typically contains nutrients, oils, solvents, and other hazardous substances and comes from widely dispersed locations including farm fields, roadways, parking lots, and lawns. On-site methods for addressing non-point source pollution include incorporating pervious paving and biofiltration in parking areas, and buffers along waterways. For specific information on how to address non-point source pollution, refer to The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay (www.gtbay.com).
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Sand Dune Protection
Sand dunes provide one of the region’s most distinctive and memorable shoreline views. Although shorelines are alluring places to locate residences and commercial establishments, sand dunes are exceptionally sensitive and unstable ecosystems. Development of sand dunes can damage this unique natural resource, diminish its scenic qualities, and increase coastal erosion.
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Stream Protection
Improved road crossings can be designed to allow the flow of rivers to be unobstructed by removing culverts and installing arched culverts (no bottoms) or bridges.
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Key Points:
- Require large setbacks from shorelines for structures and restrict seawall construction except to prevent imminent property damage.
- Require shielded lighting on docks and along shore, visualy screening development from the water.
- Most permits to establish a permanent shoreline are handled by the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources; however, where applicable local standards should be established to provide the greatest protection of natural shorelines and water resources.
- Retain or restore native trees and shrubs along streams to moderate water temperature.
- Retain natural vegetation or plant twenty-five (25) to fifty (50) foot wide vegetation strips to buffer waterways from the effects of traffic and building development.
- Biofiltrate runoff on-site to help protect the quality of the region’s watershed.
- Minimize soil erosion by preserving shoreline vegetation and limiting the area and duration of clearing and grading (e.g., clearing a maximum of thirty (30) percent of vegetation between thirty-five (35) and seventy-five (75) feet of the ordinary high water mark and no clearing in excess of a specified width).
- Buffer zones, especially in flood plain areas, should be preserved from development for environmental and public safety purposes.
- Set buildings back from shorelines to prevent water quality degradation from construction activities and impervious surfaces. Structures should be at least fifty (50) to seventy-five (75) feet from the landward edge of shorelines, wetlands, drainageways, and areas with unique ecological characteristics whenever possible.
- Locate buildings away from sand dunes and other erosion sensitive areas. Preserve dune and slope vegetation, and locally enforce dune ridge setbacks.
- Utilize bridges or arched culverts when roadways cross streams.
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