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Shoreline Development Threat To Lake Parker
The Problem:
Nearly all of the shoreline of Lake Parker is developed. This is a threat to the lake. In their natural state, lakes are protected by thick and diverse vegetation along their shores which reduce soil erosion and prevent excess nutrients from entering the water. As people move in, we change the environment to suit our tastes and the natural protective elements disappear. Fish, wildlife, water quality, and scenery change and the very things that drew us to the lake begin to disappear. Little by little, over time, we chip away at the natural shoreline and ultimately, at the very health of the lake itself.
Maintaining natural vegetation along shorelines is considered to be so important to the health of lakes that many states have adopted strict shoreline zoning laws that prohibit disturbing these natural buffer areas. Click here to check out the rules in Maine. Legislation is pending before the Vermont House of Representatives to similarly protect shorelines in our state. But, even with shoreline zoning laws, responsibility for managing our property with good lake protection practices rests with the landowner.


124 homes and camps on the Lake Parker shore land.
What You Can Do to Help:
1) Maintain a well vegetated buffer strip along your shoreline.
2) Properly maintain and use your septic system.
3) Properly maintain your gravel roads and driveways.

 Buffer Strips:Maintaining a well vegetated buffer strip along the shoreline is one of the best things you can do to protect the lake. You can participate in an LPA sponsored re-vegetation program or simply stop mowing the lawn all the way down to the shore. Leave it alone, and a high quality buffer will gradually grow back on its own. In addition, you'll save money and have more time to enjoy the water. The LPA and VTDEC have many resources available to help you adopt good stewardship practices so spread the word.
One Dozen more things that you can do to better protect the lake.
Septic Systems
How do septic systems work?
Septic systems act as the digestive tract for household organic waste and destroy disease-producing bacteria. The most commonly approved systems today consist of a septic tank connected to a leach field. The septic tank stores solid waste and pipes waste water into the leach field where it is filtered and drained into the soil below.  

How is water quality related to septic systems?
Certain nutrients build up in organic waste from your home and are dissolved in the water that ends up in the leach field. The nutrients that do not get filtered out eventually drain into the water table below ground or drain into rivers and lakes that may be nearby. Nutrients – especially phosphorus – are vital to plant and algae growth. High levels of phosphorus, however, act as a fertilizer and create an environment where growth is unnaturally rapid. This deprives aquatic animals of vital dissolved oxygen and will speed up the life cycle of a lake through the build up of plant and animal matter.

What can you do to help water quality?
In order to alleviate the problem of phosphorus build up, each of us must act responsibly when addressing waste disposal. Use phosphate-free or low phosphate detergents. Compost your kitchen garbage rather than using a garbage disposal. This keeps many nutrients from directly entering the water system. Conserve water whenever possible. The more water in your septic system the greater the possibility of nutrients leaching out through the system. Never flush toxic materials (such as paint, oil, or pesticides) down your drain. This will kill the natural bacteria in your septic system that breaks down organic waste. Be sure your septic system is functioning properly and have your septic tank pumped out at least every two to three years.

Note: There is currently a Bill (H.206) that has passed the Vermont House of Representatives and is now before the Senate that among other things would require a permit to modify a septic system. You can read the text of the Bill on the internet at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/1998/bills/house/H-206.HTM.

If you would like to test your septic system you can contact Madeleine Ducham at camp #66 525-4051. She can provide the dye test tablets and instructions for using them to test your system.   

Roads and Driveways:
Have You Looked at Your Gravel Road or Driveway Lately?
From "Out of the Blue" A newsletter of the VTDEC Water Quality Division.

Recent attention has focused on gravel roads and driveways as potential sources of sediment and phosphorus to lakes and streams. Every road or driveway can become a conduit for rainwater or snowmelt, eroding the road material and introducing it to nearby streams or lakes. It is critical to maintain driveways in the shoreland area due to their proximity to the lake. Here are some tips on evaluating your lakeshore driveway or private road to ensure it is not part of this erosion problem.

First, walk your driveway or road during a heavy rainfall or during the snowmelt period. Observe the flow of water along the road and note the following:
* Does any water run as channelized flow directly into the lake or to a inlet stream? If so, this problem is the highest priority to fix. Look uphill for ways to divert water into vegetated areas. Extreme situations may warrant moving the driveway back or redesigning it.
* Examine how the flow becomes channelized and concentrated. As the flow increases in volume it can erode more material.
* Is the water runoff carrying much eroded soil or gravel? This situation may indicate there are ditches, banks or backslopes that need stabilizing.
* Does the driveway or road have eroding gullies down the length of it? Does the water flow down the tire tracks? There are four basic principles to good road or driveway maintenance.

1. Get water off the road as soon as possible. Maintain a good crown on the road surface so that water runs off the edges of the road, rather than down the length of it. Waterbars are a good trick to use on steep slopes often found in private road or driveway situations. Three possible waterbar designs are below, Consider the quality of any new gravel you may add periodically; ask for qua!ity "crusher run" gravel.
2. Stabilize and revegetate bare areas. These unstable areas often crop up around culverts, in ditches, and along backslopes. Simple rock headers can be built by hand on smaller culverts. Ditches with slopes greater than 5% should be rock-lined for stability.
3. Divert as much runoff as possible into vegetated areas. A wooded area can absorb quite a bit of runoff, reducing surface flow and removing sediment. Divert the road runoff as often as possible by using turnouts, waterbars, and culverts. By doing this often, runoff volume can be kept Iow, increasing the effectiveness of vegetation and duff layers that absorb it.
4. Good maintenance saves money over the long run. Putting adequate money into a road improvement project at the beginning increases its longevity, thereby saving you money in the future. Plus, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are protecting nearby streams and lakes.

For more information, please contact the Better Backroads Program through the Lakes and Ponds Section at 802-241-3777.