Shoreline Development 99 Chapter
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The Lake Book Shoreline Development 99 Chapter Canandaigua Lake offers beautiful scenery, clear blue waters, good fishing, and is an excel- lent lake for water sports. These factors have proven to be an irresistible combination for thou- sands of homeowners and vacationers. Much of the lake front development occurred during the 1950s and 60s, a time period when there was less concern about the effects of development on the lake shore and water quality. Building along Canandaigua Lake has continued since then. Today there are around 1100 seasonal and year round residences on approximately 1400 lake shore parcels. High building densities, building on mar- ginal lands, greater numbers of septic systems, View of development along the north end of the lake. and aging pictureseptic systems of scenic risk lakeshore overwhelming develop- Canandaigua Lakes natural abilityment to effectively dilute wastes and nutrients from runoff and seep- age. In an effort to protect public health, safety, and to address potential environmental impacts that building and altering the landscape might have, most municipalities have adopted regula- tions that govern design and construction in and around the lake. Contained in the zoning ordi- Table showing the increased residential nances, these regulations pertain to type and lo- development within the watershed. cation of septic systems, home distance from shore, maximum building height, etc... Ordi- 49 Shoreline Development nances vary from town to town, so it is impor- count before any construction. tant to check with your local zoning officials as to the particulars of your area. They will also Sediment Control for Building and Property know which other agencies it will be necessary Improvements to contact before building. Depending on a num- The largest negative impact that construc- ber of site factors, it may be necessary to obtain tion can have on the lake is increased sedimenta- construction permits from the town, state, or tion due to increased runoff over disturbed soils. even federal agencies. Sediments in the lake can muddy the water, Construction of a dock, mooring, boathouse, smother fish eggs, increase cost of water filtra- accessory structure and boat hoist is subject to tion and bring in nutrients that cause undesirable the Canandaigua Lake Uniform Docking and algae blooms. Simple erosion control practices Mooring Law enforced by the local Code En- can reduce the amount of soil reaching the water forcement Officer (CEO). In addition, any ex- by reducing the amount and velocity of water cavation at or below mean high water level washing downhill. (MHWL), 689.4 ft above mean sea level (the lake level is printed daily in the local weather Before the project begins - A little forethought section of The Daily Messenger of Canandaigua), and understanding of how erosion prevention requires a permit from the New York State De- works will make sediment control easier. In na- partment of Conservation (DEC). An example ture, plant roots hold soil in place during storms would be the construction a dock anchored to and heavy snow melts. Debris, grasses and un- shore by a breakwall. A DEC and local permit derbrush slow overland flow, allowing the water would be required for the breakwall and possi- more time to infiltrate into the soil and reducing bly a separate local permit would be necessary the power of the water. This means that the less for the dock. If you have any doubts about the natural landscape is disturbed when building, whether or not a permit is needed for a project, the less area for erosion to occur. Deflecting call your local CEO and/or the DEC. It is al- clean water away from the disturbed site will ways better to discover a permit is not needed also help reduce erosion. Seeded and mulched rather than being cited for a violation. swales (shallow diversion ditches) and dikes can Ordinances, laws, rules and regulations were be used for this purpose. Direct the flow into a created to protect public health, safety, welfare stable area. and the environment. Protection of water qual- Temporary sediment barriers placed before ity of Canandaigua Lake is important to the 1,500 construction can intercept and remove sediment lake area residences and the 50,000 people from from runoff once excavation begins. Straw bales the City and Town of Canandaigua, Gorham, solidly staked into the ground slows flow, allow- Farmington, Middlesex, Newark, Palmyra, ing suspended particles to settle, and can act as a Rushville, and other municipalities that drink wa- filter for water running through. A silt fence works ter from Canandaigua Lake. These laws also like straw bales but can be used on steeper slopes. help preserve the clarity of the water, scenic Both need to be checked periodically to make views, fisheries, and many of the other reasons sure they are working properly. Swales and dikes people are drawn to the lake. Please remember can be used to divert sediment-laden water to set- that everyone on and around the lake is part of a tling ponds or other sediment trapping devices. community, and each individual has an impact. These are usually used on larger construction projects in conjunction with bales and fences. The next three sections provide informa- Once the erosion prevention and sediment tion on shoreline development: residences, docks, control measures are in place, excavation and con- and beach erosion protection. The fourth sec- struction can begin. tion provides important information on lake lev- els and flooding that should be taken into ac- During construction - Preserve as much of the 50 Shoreline Development topsoil as possible. Stockpile it out of the way is to be mowed, light and moisture conditions, and protect it by covering it or seeding it. Re- and the steepness of the slope. Replanting na- placing a layer of topsoil after construction pro- tive vegetation has the advantage that these vides a good base for replanting, reduces irriga- plants have evolved in the area and are well tion needs, and reduces the need for fertilizer. suited for the conditions. Check the sediment control devices and ad- Mulch is used to stabilize the soil, provide just as necessary. As grades change during con- moisture for the seedlings, and prevent seeds and struction, the direction and force of the runoff seedlings from washing away. Some examples can change as well. This would make previous of different types of mulches are: sawdust, efforts for control ineffective. woodchips/bark mulch, compost, hay or straw, Protect existing vegetation, including trees, peat moss, gravel or stone, and plastic. Each has from additional damage. Keep the area of im- its advantages and drawbacks. A local nursery or contractor should have more information. Once plants have established a sufficient root system to prevent erosion, the erosion pre- vention and sediment controls can be removed. Sediment accumulated in basins and traps to be removed should be carefully disposed of to pre- vent it from washing down into the lake. Some- times it is desirable to leave the erosion preven- tion dikes and/or swales permanently. Before beginning any project, remember to contact the local CEO about local zoning ordi- nances and permits. Also, discuss erosion and sediment control measures with your contractor to make sure control measures will be installed. Docks Many lake residents desire a dock for easy access to the water, docking for boats, fishing access, and other forms of recreation. They can be permanent - anchored to the lake bed and left in place year-round; or temporary - a seasonal Inadequate stablization leads structure. There are specific regulations regard- to erosion into the lake. ing the size and location of the docks in the Canandaigua Lake Uniform Docking and Moor- pact contained in the smallest area reasonable. ing Law. Some of the more important restric- It often takes a year or more to re-establish veg- tions for residential properties are: etation on a disturbance, many years to replace a dead tree. 1. Structures have to be at least 10 ft from any property boundary unless it is Afterwards - Stabilize the disturbed areas as to be shared by the respective owners. soon as possible upon completion of the project. This can include replacing the topsoil saved, 2. The number of boat slips and/or moor- seeding or planting and finally mulching. Plac- ings as well as the number of docks al- ing sod is another option. In selection of seed- lowed by this law is determined by the ing mixture or plants consider whether the site lineal feet of lakeshore owned as follows: 51 Shoreline Development 0 - 25ft: 1 boat slip, 1 dock ing docks are decks supported by buoyant mate- 25.01 - 50 ft: 2 boat slips, 1 dock rials such as clean, sealed plastic drums or rigid, 50.01 - 100 ft: 3 boat slips, 1 dock plastic foam. The dock should be kept in place 100.01 - 150 ft: 4 boat slips,2 by chains attached to weights in the lake bed. docks Cantilever docks have one end permanently fixed 150.01 - 200 ft: 5 boat slips,2 docks 3. Docks cannot exceed 720 sq ft. The main body of the dock can be a maxi- mum of 8 ft wide as measured parallel to the shoreline and can be a maximum of 60 ft long or as long as necessary to reach 3 ft of water depth as measured from the mean low water level. In this case the length maybe restricted if the Cantilever Dock dock is a hazard to safe navigation. to the shore while the deck juts out over the wa- 4. Mooring buoys are prohibited for prop- ter, the far end supported by floats, vertical posts erties with only 0 - 25 ft of shoreline.