A buffer, or "riparian buffer", is a strip of land with vegetation such as plants, shrubs and trees along the shoreline separating your lawn from the water. This strip of land helps to stabilize the shoreline and prevent waves from eroding your shoreline while catching runoff from your lawn. It helps absorb fertilizers and pesticides and trap sediment before they can enter the Lake. It also provides habitat for birds and other small wildlife while acting as a barrier to nuisance Canada geese who may fear a predatory animal is hiding in there.
A rain garden is a depression in the ground, which is filled with plants and shrubs, that acts to catch runoff from rooftop downspouts, driveways etc. The depression fills with the water so that it doesn't run down the property, and the water is absorbed into the soil and used by the plants. Place them at the bottom of a driveway, or a low point in your yard where water tends to collect. A rain barrel would also collect rooftop runoff from downspouts, holding the water for such uses as gardening and watering other yard plants.
Impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways and sidewalks don't absorb stormwater. Instead it runs down those surfaces, building in speed and volume. Reducing the amount and effects from impervious surfaces is important. One such way is to reduce the overall impervious surface totals on one's property. Replacing an asphalt driveway or cement walkway with a more porous surface, such as block or crushed stone, is one such method. Also consider step-stone pathways instead of poured concrete. Some municipalities around Candlewood Lake have zoning regulations relative to impervious surface coverage - please check with your municipality for details.
By adding culverts, diversions, ditches, sump pumps etc. where necessary you can help to prevent erosion and encourage infiltration of runoff into soil. We recommend consulting with a professional engineer and contacting your local land use office to ensure you are in compliance before redirecting drainage water.
Long straight paths and walkways that lead down a hill (and especially towards the Lake), act as direct water chutes into the lake, carrying nutrients, sediment and debris with the water. By creating a narrow, twisting path, the water won't have a straight run into the lake and instead it will encourage infiltration of the runoff into the soil once it hits your grass instead of the pathway
The easiest way to keep pollutants out of Candlewood is to not use them in the first place! Nutrients in fertilizers feed algae and nuisance plants in the lake -- plus you’ll save money on landscaping every spring!
