Maintenance:
Retaining Walls and Ineffective Riprap

Retaining walls and riprap will not always guard your shoreline from erosion.

In this example of a Lake Marion property in Lakeville, Minnesota, the retaining wall was failing and the bank was collapsing behind the wall (top photo).

Both the retaining wall and riprap were removed and the shore was graded to a more gradual slope (middle photo).

The exposed soil was seeded with a cover crop and covered with an erosion control blanket to prevent erosion until the site could be planted (bottom photo).

The site was next planted with about 4,000 native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. The property residents are hopeful that the native plants will flourish and restore their shoreline to a more natural condition while attracting wildlife, filtering runoff, and preventing further erosion along the shoreline.