Preserving Your Slice of Shoreline

A primer on waterfront improvements

By Benjamin Arnberg

Due to the COVID-19 quarantine, I finished the Netflix library. I have now switched to Amazon Prime for new material. Mom and I landed on a film called Where’d You Go, Bernadette? Near the beginning, neighbors Bernadette and Audrey are in conflict. Audrey dislikes Bernadette’s overgrown yard, particularly gargantuan bushes along a retaining wall that separates their respective yards. Bernadette removes the bushes, despite knowing (architect that she is) the root system has helped keep the land from putting too much pressure on the aged retaining wall. During the next thunderstorm, land turns to mud, the retaining wall cracks, and Bernadette’s yard bursts into Audrey’s living room.

Lesson: upkeep of retaining walls (and for Lake Martin residents, seawalls) is important.

Why am I talking to you about seawalls? It’s not as fun as talking about lake home décor with my neighbor Nan Jackson or selecting a fine wine with the sommelier at SpringHouse. Reading Alabama Power Residential Shoreline Permitting Guidelines (found at apcshorelines.com/our-lakes/martin/) is not as exciting as reading Little Fires Everywhere.

I write this for three reasons: 1) I just graduated with a Ph.D. in Education, so sharing information is a reflex; 2) After three months of social distancing, I have exhausted every other topic of conversation on calls with my friend Jaylin in Tuscaloosa; and 3) As a resident of a lakefront community, I don’t want my neighbors’ yards to slide into the lake during a rain storm or erode due to wake action.

Shoreline maintenance is essential to ensuring the integrity of the landscape of Lake Martin and to protecting your investment in your lakefront home. I, for one, like to think that seawalls keep snakes from slithering into the yard (Disclaimer: My theory is not supported by scientific evidence. But it’s a nice delusion, right?).

Though we aren’t even halfway through the summer, now is the time for scheduling those shoreline projects that you’ve been kicking down the road. Unless extended to mid-October, after Labor Day, the pool level of the lake begins to descend from its summer level of 491 feet above sea level to its winter level of 484. The winter pool level provides space for shoreline projects, and these projects require planning and permits from Alabama Power.

Now is especially the time for new homesites to prepare for intensive shoreline work that the lower water pool accommodates. That means now is prime time for selecting lots in Russell Lands’ newest development—The Willows of Willow Point—and for submitting your shoreline construction applications to Alabama Power. If you plan well, all your shoreline projects (seawall, dock, dredging, etc.) can be submitted in one application, eliminating the need for multiple applications (at a cost of $250 each). The great thing about selecting a new homesite is that you have a clean slate for the ideal waterfront situation.

Now it’s time for some real information. Facts tapas, if you will:

• Alabama Power holds hydro licensing on 30-year terms via the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• The most recent license was implemented in 2016
• 2016 license changed the winter pool level from 481 feet above sea level to 484 feet above sea level (excepting every fifth year)
• 2016 license also allows for extended summer pool (through mid-October) when conditions permit (which is estimated to occur every five years)
• Martin Dam was built in 1926 and is named for Thomas Martin, president of Alabama Power Company from 1920-1949
• Martin Dam has four generators; on the day I write this (June 9), one generator is in operation, with an outflow of 4,423 CFS
• apcshorelines.com/our-lakes/martin/ includes a map identifying top fishing spots on the lake
• Permit applications must be submitted for bank stabilization, dredging, boat ramps, PWC floats or lifts, legacy structure changes, flotation, docks, and residential water withdrawal
• The permit fee is $250.00
• Russell Lands can help you navigate shoreline projects with its approved builders and its expertise in lakefront construction
• 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate features a climactic action sequence inside a hydroelectric facility, if you can’t get enough of hydroelectric adventure

And, since I’ve told you I’ve finished Netflix, I’ll close with some wisdom I learned from the docuseries Trial by Media. In the episode documenting Richard Scrushy’s trials, “King Richard” attorney Jim Parkman said, “Even the thinnest pancakes have two sides.” This has no connection whatsoever to shoreline regulations and pool levels. I’m just sharing information, because, like I said, as an educator, it’s a reflex.

Editor’s Note: This winter drawdown of the lake level is carefully managed by Alabama Power Company. It is the ideal time for installation of seawalls, approved dredging and pier construction. We recommend that you check needed maintenance and water depth needs during the summer when the lake is at full pool. Design, contracting and permitting need to occur in early fall to make sure you are ready to go before December of 2020.