The term, lake restoration, encompasses all of the various techniques used to improve and restore damaged lakes. When a natural lake drifts from its original form, or a manmade design changes in negative ways, restoration techniques aim to restore the intended and healthiest possible form. Most natural lake restoration projects aim to turn time back and restore historical species or habitats that have since been lost. Manmade restoration is less limited by former patterns of use, so they’re often more ambitious and may involve redesigning the lake from excavation up. Regardless of the type or scale of the lake restoration process, the same techniques are used across the globe to restore the important benefits of healthy lakes.
Addressing Many Forms of Damage
Lake restoration, as a field, aims to address almost every form of damage affecting lakes today. Depending on the size, location and former uses of the lake, this can include:
- High levels of nutrients in the water that harm fish and cause offensive odors
- Toxic chemical and heavy metal accumulation; especially in the sediment on the bottom
- Excessive sediment accumulation resulting in a shallow lake; making it unsuitable as a habitat
- Infestation of invasive plant and animal species that damage the lake’s overall health as an ecosystem
- Algae blooms triggered by shallow warm waters and high nutrient levels; this can range from unsightly to dangerous for animals and humans.
Preventing Cascade Effects
It’s not enough to solve a single problem with a lake by applying a singular solution at the point of the issue. All lake restoration projects require complete ecosystem approaches to target the cascade effect that lead to the issues with most damaged lakes. For example, nutrient overloading begins far from the lake itself, so no amount of adjustments made to the water will have a long-term positive effect. This is where whole watershed management plays an important role in lake restoration. Without efforts to reduce the long-range effects on the lake, any limited restoration effort is likely to fail.
Restoring the Value of Natural and Manmade Lakes
Lakes do more than just beautify the landscape. They’re also an essential part of the watershed system and help absorb large volumes of runoff to control flooding and recharge the underground water supply. These bodies of water are also habitats for thousands of important plant and animal species, but they’re much more likely to support a healthy ecosystem if they’re thriving themselves. Lake restoration can change a degraded water supply into a strong and safe resource that results in a healthy income from recreation, fishing, and more.
Working on All Levels
The process of restoration isn’t just for major lakes, of economic importance, like the Great Lakes. Even smaller, backyard and neighborhood lakes can benefit from the same techniques used on bigger features; just on a reduced scale. Since small scale lake restoration efforts also cost less, they’re often more affordable than lake owners assume. A little well-timed restoration work, like weed removal and dredging, can improve a lake of any style and type. Thus, making it an essential tool in every private lake owner’s repertoire.
Techniques Commonly Used for Lake Restoration
There are hundreds of different techniques used for lake restoration since there are so many potential problems addressed by these projects. However, many of them fall into larger, general categories of related treatments that share common goals or processes. Chemical treatments are often recommended as less disruptive to the natural ecosystem, but they are limited in their applications. Hydro-raking is another technique used for removing deep-rooted aquatic weeds that are overwhelming the lake. Dredging and silt removal helps restore the depth of a lake, while full excavation and grading to reshape the bottom and shoreline usually requires complete draining. If the water’s already being pumped out for excavation or bank stabilization, it’s best to add a new flexible liner or repair the existing lining at the same time. Other techniques that make up the lake restoration process include watershed management, re-planting, and flushing with large volumes of fresh water.
Lake restoration is a multi-layered process that usually requires cooperation between multiple agencies, organizations, and groups of citizens. When it’s handled correctly, the process can pay off for years to come with increased flood control, new habitats for wildlife, and more. Choose BTL Liners for a company that can tackle the challenges of fabricating largescale liners for lake restoration and related projects.
