Behind my house there is a very steep bank/slope that leads down to a decent-sized, slow moving creek about 10 – 12 ft wide. Unfortunately it meanders right behind my property at the base of this steep embankment:
When we bought our house almost ten years ago, it had not meandered nearly as much and we had significantly more embankment/real estate than we do now. Over the last decade the creek has cut deeper and deeper into the embankment and we now have lost about 8 – 10 feet of property at the top of the slope due to erosion of the embankment. We are now about to lose our fence which runs along the top of the embankment and I think this is finally the year that I need to do something to stop the erosion of loss of real estate (and our fence).
One thought I had was to see if I could (as impossible as it sounds) redirect the creek to flow straight rather than to meander. This would prevent the creek from cutting into the embankment any further. But it wouldn't stop erosion from rain which is now just as much a problem as the creek.
To fix the erosion issue, I'm wondering if there is any material I could apply/spray/whatever to the entire embankment? I know on the side of highways I often see rocky cliffs with some kind of retaining netting that helps "pack" in the rocks and loose debris from falling onto the road.
At this stage I'm just looking to review my options so I can weigh them and only then drill down into their logistics so I can figure out which way we're going to go.
So, options-wise, what are some solutions out there that could help with both problems (that is: preventing the creek from meandering any further, and erosion of the embankment due to the creek and rainfall)?
Best Answer
This is often a complex legal situation due to regulations that affect (in many parts of the world) what you can do in or near a body or stream of water even if the land next to it or around it belongs to you; not to mention the fact that you are fighting with a force that has literally shaped the planet, and it's inexorable and quite capable of undoing many things you try to do to stop it, if, in fact, it is even legal for you to try to do those things. If the stream also is a property BOUNDARY, the legal implications of trying to move it get even more complex.
The "wire mesh" you describe is most probably gabions, which are empty wire cages which are stacked and filled (pretty much by hand, which has taken a novice contractor or two by surprise, to their cost) with rocks. Another common technique is "rip rap" which are simply large rocks layed over the face.
Your only legal option in many places would be to think about moving your fence back before it's undermined. Trying to get plant material established on the eroding slope is another approach, but many jurisdictions are less fond of people planting highly invasive species often selected in the past for that purpose, so you may need to stick with native/local species. Or, you may be able to perform some work after having hearings/meetings with the Authority Having Jurisdition over such activities in your area (conservation commission, department of environmental protection, etc.)