Protecting Banks of Backyard Water Features from Erosion

Erosion on the banks of your water features, such as ponds or running steams, takes place in two ways. The first is natural erosion and the second is that caused by human traffic. The key to keeping the banks looking well is to use an erosion control sheet when the water feature is first made. These erosion control sheets are made of a combination of rubber and polyurethane. DuPont makes a commercial grade for cities to use in the same type of protective measures that this article is about.

The key to properly using this erosion control sheet is to incorporate it into your landscape plan. The combination of the control sheet and the natural protection given by roots of shrubs, trees, grasses and other plants provides a long lasting barrier to erosion that gets started in the crucial first six months your water feature is exposed to natures elements and human beings.

Control of human traffic near the banks is done by placing decorative barriers, such as rocks or plant barriers, to keep human foot traffic onto the erosion control sheet. This needs to be done until the natural plant life used in conjunction with the sheet has time, about six months, to properly establish itself.

Key areas of banks to protect are where the water comes into the water feature and where it leaves, if the water runs completely through your property. Proper control gates or water exit points must be incorporated into the erosion control plan that includes the natural plants and control sheet mentioned earlier.

If your backyard water feature has a pump or fountain it is good to bury and power cables under the erosion control sheet.

Often it is good to bury a double set of cables in case of failure of one cable in the future. Having a double set allows replacement or repair and trouble shooting without unduly disturbing the banks of your water feature.