LUDLOW, Vt. – When rainwater hits a hard surface like your roof, driveway, or short-trimmed lawn, it will likely run off to the nearest low point and bring whatever it can carry to the next water body within reach. In the case of Twin Cove Drive on Lake Rescue in Ludlow, a short but steep bank was that low point for much of the stormwater coming off the homeowners’ roof and driveway.
After a Lake Wise assessment in 2024, the homeowners, Amy and Mike, reached out to the Black River Action Team to ask for some guidance around improving that slope in a way that would protect the lake from excess sediment washing in from their property. Several recommendations were made to reduce the volume and velocity of water that could make it to the lake, and Amy and Mike set out to do those on their own – installing gutters, and adding several rock-lined areas where roof runoff could enter and seep into the soil before ever reaching the lake.
The slope was another story; through a small block grant from the State of Vermont and administered by Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, BRAT was able to contract with Northwoods Stewardship Center to design and install a set of infiltration steps on this slope. Each step is a three-sided, open-bottomed frame of timbers that is anchored to the next step above with rebar; the slope beneath the steps is lined with landscaping mesh fabric and back-filled with small stone, then topped with pea gravel. The goal is to allow rainfall and any storm runoff from the property to enter the stones and filter slowly into the soil below. Additionally, the Northwoods crew added a handrail to the down-slope side of the steps for greater stability for an elderly family member, and two cedar logs were anchored to the slope to create near-parallel terraces that will capture any additional water coming off the driveway. The entire site will be planted by Amy using native groundcover vegetation to further stabilize the soil and retain even more water.
Amy and Mike also have plans to have their driveway subtly graded away from the lake, to further reduce any storm water from entering the lake.
The on-site portion of this Clean Water Project took five days; many thanks to the hardworking Northwoods crew for pounding out this challenging project with care, consideration, and creativity. Amy and Mike graciously provided room and board for the work crew for the duration of the project, as well several hours of volunteer labor by their adult son and his friends. Funding for the labor portion of the project came through the Vermont Deptartment of Environmental Conservation’s Block Grant program, by way of Mount Ascutney Regional Commission. Materials were purchased by the homeowners according to the specifications from the Northwoods crew.
As more lakeshore property owners elect to have a Lake Wise assessment done on all four of the on-river lakes in this chain, Black River Action Team expects to participate in many more projects that will help protect the health and vitality of this beautiful waterway. Learn more about BRAT at www.blackriveractionteamvt.org, and about the Lake Wise program at www.dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakeshores-lake-wise/what-lake-wise.