Bioengineered Shoreline Protection on Inland Lakes

Bioengineering (also known as “soft” or “green” engineering) is a flexible method of shoreline protection that is used to stabilize inland lake shorelines to prevent erosion while protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat on Michigan's inland lakes. Bioengineering uses a combination of native plantings and natural or biodegradable materials to engineer shoreline protection that, to the extent possible, mimics and or enhances the natural landscape.

The purpose and benefits of bioengineering are to provide a natural transition between the open water and upland allowing for the dissipation of energy, not the hard reflection of waves, and to improve water quality and habitat.  There are a wide variety of bioengineering designs that can suit a variety of property owner aesthetics while also protecting the shoreline from erosion, and providing benefits to the lake.  Many project designs can be viewed below.

You can click on the project image below or one of the markers on the map to view the expanded details and pictures for each project. Images for each site are ordered with the most recent picture of the finished bioengineering project first, then project plans submitted with the application, then images of the shoreline before bioengineering was installed on the property. The series of white dots at the bottom of the picture shows the order of the pictures. You can click on a picture to enlarge, and use the arrows on the sides of the picture to look at other pictures from each property.

Would you like to have your project featured on this story map?  Please use this form  to provide information on your inland lake bioengineering project!

For more information on bioengineering and other shoreline best management practices visit  Michigan.gov/ShorelineProtection .

The Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership (MNSP) is also a valuable resource such as the Certified Natural Shoreline Professional list, recommended shoreline plants, bioengineering designs, and other information. Visit the  the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership website  for more.