Retaining Walls, Seawalls and Erosion Control on the Lake

How to read your own bank

The early signs are consistent: exposed roots along the waterline, a small vertical scarp where turf ends and bare clay begins, soil fans at the bottom of downspout runs, and fence posts or steps that have tilted lakeward since you moved in. None of those are emergencies on their own. Together they mean the bank is moving, and anything you build above it inherits that movement.

Drainage before walls

Most bank failures we're called to look at are water problems first. Roof runoff and driveway sheet flow concentrate at one point, cut a channel, and undermine the toe of the slope. Fixing where the water goes — collecting downspouts, adding swales, breaking up sheet flow with terraces — is cheaper than a taller wall and often solves the problem the wall was meant to hide.

• Collect and pipe roof runoff past the slope rather than onto it.
• Terrace long slopes into shorter, stable steps.
• Backfill walls with free-draining stone and real drain tile, not site clay.
• Keep and reinforce shoreline vegetation where buffer rules require it.

Retaining walls vs. seawalls

A retaining wall holds soil upslope, away from the water. A seawall works at the waterline against wave energy and fluctuating lake level — a much harder loading condition, and one where footing depth, backfill and drainage matter more than the visible face. Both can be built in segmental block, poured concrete or stone. The right choice depends on height, soil and how much access equipment can get to the bank.

Sequencing shoreline work with the fun part

When a client wants a deck, a patio and stabilization, doing them as one project is almost always cheaper and better. One excavation, one elevation plan, one drainage plan, one mobilization of equipment down a tight lake lot. Doing the deck first and the wall two years later usually means demolishing part of the deck to get a machine to the bank.