Lakefront Best Practices
Lakefront Best Practices
Photo by Zac Staffiere
How to Keep the Lakes Clean
Property owners on the water or near wetlands have a special responsibility to protect the ecosystem. On this page you will find valuable resources like this brochure and this tutorial on eutrophication, and this guide from Candlewood Lake, and the infographic, the notes from conservationist Michael Nadeau, and a guide shared at the TLA membership meeting in 2026 below for managing your waterline. Here is another resource looking at the importance of frogs as a kind of canary in the coal mine for the ecosystem. The New York Times details some of the problems with algae blooms that result at least partly from poor septic systems near the water.
Plant a buffer along the shoreline to keep nutrients that promote harmful weed growth from reaching the lake. If you do nothing else, make certain you are NOT treating your lawn with anything that contains phosphorous. Here are more detailed guidelines:
Protect Your Waterfront Investment
Best practices for the health of twin lakes and its natural habitat
Living on or near Twin Lakes comes with responsibilities. It’s up to each of us to protect this beautiful resource. We should be good neighbors and stewards. Applying best practices will preserve the health of Twin Lakes, its watershed, and the native flora and fauna that surrounds us.
Watch this video to learn more about how human activity affects lakes. Here are some ways we can maintain our lake systems and support biodiversity and the entire ecosystem that surrounds us, keeping them healthy for generations to come:
- Maintain Your Septic System – Regular septic maintenance is critical. Your septic tank requires periodic pumping to operate efficiently and prevent leaching into the lake, wells, and watercourses near your property. Maintenance should take place every 2 years—and more frequently if there is heavy use or your property is close to the water.
To learn more, download this pdf of the EPA’s Homeowner’s Guide to Septic Systems.
- Protect The Watershed – Healthy watersheds make healthy lakes. The leading causes of pollution in our waterways are sediment, bacteria (such as E. coli) and excess nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus).
- Design a riparian buffer zone. On the shoreline, Use native plants, grasses and shrubs, which will stabilize the waterfront, absorb runoff, and provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife. It will also act as a barrier to nuisance Canada Geese.
- Limit lawn size. Consider a no-mow approach, or shrink your lawn and plant native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to increase wildlife habitat.
More lawn equals more runoff, murkier water, less habitat.
More natural area equals clearer water, more wildlife habitat.
- Do not bring in materials to create a sandy beach or bottom. Protect the in-water natural habitat. Leave fallen trees in the water, creating critical habitat for tiny organisms that feed young fish, turtles and other aquatic critters that are native to Twin Lakes.
- Prevent water runoff from getting to the lake. Reduce impervious surfaces such as walkways and patios. Use materials that allow the water to infiltrate into the earth. Plant rain gardens or rocky infiltration areas to help slow runoff. By allowing water to soak into the ground, it will be naturally filtered by the plants and soil.
- Prevent toxins from entering the watershed. Avoid fertilizer and using non-toxic pest and weed control methods. Ask your yard service providers what products they apply to your lawn and gardens. Many are highly toxic to bees, butterflies, fireflies and other pollinators as well as fish and wildlife. Even better, don’t use them.
- Clean up pet waste.
To learn more, click to download this information on how we protect watersheds.
- Build a Mosquito Bucket. Avoid harmful sprays/fogging that kill more than mosquitos. The Mosquito Bucket is a better alternative to treatments that kill fireflies, dragonflies, caterpillars and pollinators and are also harmful to children and pets.
Click to download this information on mosquito buckets.
- Remove Light Pollution. This is the easiest thing to do…turn off your outdoor lights and create your own “dark sky park.” Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) interrupts the circadian rhythms of many insects, bats and bird populations, threatening their survival (foraging, mating, reproduction). Light pollution is the second leading cause of bird decline.
Click to download this information on light pollution.
- Remove Invasive Plants. Non-native invasive plants are aggressive and crowd out native vegetation, reduce diversity, and pose a threat to endangered and native species. They kill trees and overrun your yard. Learn to identify invasive plants so you can eradicate them.
Click to download this information on removing invasive plants.
- Replace Invasives with Native Plants. The best way to avoid invasives is to not plant them in the first place. Native plants are the cornerstone of Earth’s ecosystems and the base of the food chain that leads to our dinner tables. They evolve in locations where they provide food and shelter specific to native insects, birds, mammals, and other animals. Even contained gardens are best planted with native species. Some local nurseries offer native plants. However, they are often cultivars of natives and may not provide the full benefits of pure natives. Sources for true Native Plants include:
–Helia Native Nursery, Alford MA
–Earthtones Native Plant Nursery and Landscapes, Woodbury CT
–Arthur’s Point Farm, Ghent NY
–Nasami Farm Nursery (Native Plant Trust), Whately MA
Click to download this information on native plants. Also here and here.
- Protect Wildlife Habitat. Together, native plants and animals form a web of mutually beneficial interactions that is greater than the sum of its parts: an ecosystem that also supports our lakes.
- Support wildlife food webs by choosing plants that support pollinators
- Do not remove trees and shrubs (unless they are invasive or are a danger). When possible, leave stumps, fallen trees, and large rocks to be used as nesting sites.
- Preserve and create nesting sites for caterpillars and other creatures by leaving the leaf litter. Leaf litter (duff) is nutrient-rich and as it decomposes, it leaves a layer of decaying organic matter. This layer acts like mulch, keeping the soil moist, adding nutrients, allowing caterpillars to pupate below the soil and for bees to create underground nests.
Click to download this information on wildlife habitats.
Here are additional links about maintaining a natural environment. Many of the organizations provide educational resources (classes, books, pamphlets, films) to help us become more aware about how we can protect the ecosystem.
https://www.uwsp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Protecting-Waterfront-Investment-2021.pdf
https://www.naturesactionguide.org/look-inside-natures-action-guide
https://homegrownnationalpark.org
https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/visit/garden-woods/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HXjEQSdeOA
See what other CT lakes are doing: