Brown County's progress may be diluted further by the onslaught of development during the past decade. Land laid bare for roads and buildings can be a major source of erosion if not properly controlled, Bechle said. Vicky Harris, who in her former role with the state Department of Natural Resources served on the Remedial Action Plan committee until the late '90s, said property owners also contribute to runoff problems in the bay. The rip-rapping that shoreline property owners did to protect their land from erosion when water levels were higher this decade may have instead caused more erosion problems, she said. And the same folks who rip-rap to protect their property often strip the shoreline of tall grasses, shrubs and trees and replace it with lawn, Harris said.
Lawns add insult to injury because grass lacks deep roots that help prevent erosion.
And where there's grass, fertilizers and pesticides typically follow. Everyone's land drains someplace, whether it's to a stream, a lake or the Great Lakes. Copyright 2000 Green Bay Press-Gazette.