It’s important to understand what erosion restoration is, but it may be even more critical to find out ways to prevent it. Of course there are certain things mother nature will bring that are inevitable but we must do what we can to prevent devastation and destruction. In this case, prevent our shorelines from erosion and losing land. When erosion first starts to occur, the land loss is minimal in most cases and there is no sudden emergency for stopping it. However, it will inevitably worsen through time and eventually what was once only 6” of lost land, turns into 6’! Without Erosion Control properties that have such severe erosion that their home could potentially sink down.

Erosion, being the cause of the reactions between wind and water, will eventually eat away at any shoreline but there are some things we can do to control erosion. The following are 7 steps that can be helpful in preventing soil erosion according to eHow.com:

1. Control soil erosion by planting vegetation, trees, ground cover, shrubs and other plants. Roots from these plants will help hold soil in place on the ground. Soil will not blow away due to wind, or be washed away from rain as easily.

2. Create windbreaks, which are barrier rows planted along the windward exposure of a plot of land. Windbreaks made out of trees, such as evergreen trees or bushes help prevent erosion by preventing wind from blowing across your land.

3. Grow cover crops on farm land. When land is not being used during the off season, cover crops can help prevent soil erosion due to wind and rain. Legumes (beans) are often used as cover crops.

4. Apply mulch to retain moisture and also help prevent soil erosion. Topsoil is not as likely to be washed or blown away when it is covered by mulch. Mulch is often used in flower beds.

5. Construct surface runoff barriers, such as edging made of bricks or stones, can help prevent soil erosion by minimizing runoff. If runoff is minimized, soil is less likely to be carried away by groundwater runoff.

6. Use contour farming when farming on sloped areas. This conservation technique is to follow the actual topography of a slope when planting crops. Using the natural lay of the land in this way can also prevent soil erosion.

7. Try terrace farming and gardening to decrease groundwater runoff. Create nearly level layers of crops on a hillside.

These steps are just some basic tips that can help better understand how to stabilize the soil. There are much more durable erosion control methods such as the Geotec Tube which not only returns your shoreline to its original state, but it prevents further erosion.

Other Lake Managemen methods may include

Preserve the rocks and vegetation which naturally occur along the shoreline.
Prevent impervious surface (i.e. roofs, driveways) runoff from flowing to the shoreline, especially bluff areas. Avoid construction within 100 feet of the shoreline or the edge of nearshore bluffs. Protect nearshore berms along lakeshores. They prevent excessive surface runoff and trap sand which "nourishes" the beach. Limit the amount of foot traffic and other recreational activities in erosion prone areas. Regardless of preventive measures, the right combination of conditions (such as high water level, violent windstorms, drastic water movement, and certain shoreline configurations) may result in serious shoreline erosion.

Vegetative/No Mow: This method involves encouraging or planting trees or woody shrubs for the soil binding properties of their large root systems, grass and other herbaceous plants to protect against raindrop impact and scouring from surface runoff, or emergent aquatic plants to stabilize bottom sediments and dampen wave action.

Structural: This includes protective structures. The placement of rock of various sizes (referred to as rip-rap) has traditionally been most common method. Other structural methods include bulkheads, gabions (rock filled baskets), and railroad ties. However, these other methods are often visually unappealing, require more heavy equipment and technical expertise, and may be more prone to failure in comparison to simple rip-rap.

Manipulative: Mostly used on streams, this includes removing streamflow obstructions, grading shoreline banks, or, in special circumstances, rerouting the stream channel.