How best to remove leaves pine needles from waterfront
 

We have a break wall that does what it is suppose to do. But as the current passes by it collects all kinds of debris behind it and unto our beach area. For 30 years I have been wading into cold water up to my chest to use a rake to collect the debris.

I have looked into trash pumps to suck up the pine needles etc. Has anyone have a similar problem and what have you done to help clean up your beach front? Is there any company out there that could provide this service of cleaning beach waterfronts?

If you find out let me know! I am always raking leaves and pine needles out of the lake. Trash pumps? Sounds good to me.

Sad to say but in the spring time I have witnessed a number of hired landscapers (assuming the people that own these beautiful waterfront estates where I have seen it happening are not out there themselves) blowing leaves and debris into the lake.

While I get some amount will end up there naturally I can't imagine it's terribly good to add more.

Forget the raking
 

It took me a few years here to realize that raking can be futile as it tends to stir things up more than clean things up. So I purchased a regular pool ‘rake’ - but just the net part. See below link for what I bought.

Soon as the water hits 65 and I have a calm day, I’m in our swimming area with mask and snorkel using this to skim along the bottom. Unlike a normal rake, this captures almost everything and doesn’t stir things up much. So, except for occasional touch-ups, I’m good to go for the season. While we’re fortunate that the currents don’t feed us a constant batch of new debris, I found this to be much quicker and more efficient than raking.

The net I bought is quite durable and I think it comes with a lifetime replacement guarantee.

https://www.amazon.com/ProTuff-Pool-.../dp/B00KCXXVPQ

I built my own, been thinking about selling them, not sure how much interest though...

Got this for the pool at home and loved it so much we bought one for the lake. Leaves in the fall get heavy and this has yet to bend at all. Almost every one of our previous nets break with the pool, nevermind the weight from some sand mixed in here at the lake. Holds something like 50lbs. The company claims if it ever breaks, they'll send you a free one (at least that's what they advertise). I have yet to test their warranty (thankfully)

https://www.amazon.com/ProTuff-Pool-...00VO01W4S?th=1

Great minds think alike JC. Did you see my post several hours before yours?:)

trash pumps
 

Do you want to try it? I could maybe rent one from Bradley's

I have strong interest...What do you have?

what do you have? I might just buy one

It's a rake designed to capture the leaves and needles. It works pretty well. I just have one right now, but I've been thinking of building them to sell. I use it on my beach front, it works well. Picks up small stones too.

Ok great. Might be what I'm looking for. PM me..

Are you able to post a picture so all of the Forum readers can see exactly what it looks like ?

Thanks!

Too Funny at Winilyme - No idea how I missed that :laugh::confused::laugh::confused:

Makes two of us doing the same thing, we must be on to something :cheers:

Have you had an issue or had to replace yours for any reason? Curious how well the company actually supports their warranty...

We also have a sifter as well as sometimes we do get a bit of sand. We actually dump the bag in the sifter and run through the water to leave the sand on the beach. Might be a bit overboard, but after using the net a few times, you'll quickly learn not to scrap the bottom or come close to it as it's certainly more time-consuming. Let the waves bring it off the bottom, clean your beach and enjoy the beautiful summer days. :D

C omputer model?
 

I can think of several Winnipesaukee natural beaches that are clean sand with no maintenance. Many different exposures and up to the shore trees. An engineering firm might have a computer model that would say "drop three rocks here" and never rake again. DES has a water table they use to assist in watching water flow when projects place new bridge abutments, rip rap on shores, etc. They don't want to tell people where to be adding things to the lake, but with good engineering info, they might agree. Perhaps removal of a few rocks from your break water would help?

No. Have had it for 3 years, it sits in the sun a lot, gets used quite often and seems as sturdy now as when we first bought it.

Off Topic...
 

A friend tells me a net or a sifter is handy for collecting crayfish, and it's easy.

You stand facing the rocky shore and wait. Before too long, a "Wake-Setter" boat will pass by, making an artificially huge wake. When the wake bashes the shoreline, the crayfish will be tossed from their hiding places. A quick sweep underneath the airborne crayfish will capture them. :)

I think it was FLL who told me of that trick. ;)

No noodle involved?- I don't believe you! :laugh:

:laugh::laugh::laugh: I thought that too when I read his post.

I haven't seen a crayfish in years.

Rock bass
 

You can thank the invasive Rock Bass for that...

Dan

How about one of these?
https://weedersdigest.com/aqua-thrus...ention-blower/

I looked at pro tuff skimmer to remove leaves and debris from sandy bottom in front of my deck, I checked out the website and reviews were not great, I thought I would get the 23.5 inch one , has anyone had good luck with this product.

Yes as a few of us stated above. It has 4.7 stars on Amazon based on thousands of reviews which was one of the reasons I decided to try it. Been very happy so far.

thanks, i will probably give it a shot, Did you get the large 23.5 one

Rugman - I have the 17” one. I wouldn’t go any bigger unless you have a perfectly flat, large and sandy area. Smaller size is best for my semi sandy area with some protruding rocks and undulating lake bottom.

thanks, My area is good size, flat and sandy bottom, think i will go for 23.5, I will let people know how I like it. Thanks again for responses.

I went with 23.5 personally. For us it works perfect for our beach and slope in the water.

Suggestion: Avoid bottom at all costs as you can get more sand than you think and then have to sift. Do a handful of solid passes and stop and grab a cold one :cheers: The waves and lake will naturally coagulate them again for you to do it again 10 minutes later. Few of those and your water and bottom are pristine. Good luck! Your little swimmers will appreciate your 'hard work' :D

No Raking?
 

If you have some spare change, an electric sweeper may be just "the thing" for you:


https://kineticwaterfeatures.com/pro...hoCL2sQAvD_BwE

https://kineticwaterfeatures.com/pro...hoCL2sQAvD_BwE

I have an aqua thruster and it works great, very industrial. It’s heavy and not easy to move around but does a great job of pushing back the leaves and muck. Unfortunately I’m in a cove so its a constant battle for me, not a seasonal effort.


Sent from my iPad using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Do your homework when choosing location ;)

Spring cleaning at my former place.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5181/5...4d4865_b_d.jpg

Once it was clean, it was hard to beat though.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e0fc6d_b_d.jpg

I was looking at these just the other day. Was thinking of it for ice but I assume would work well for muck and weeds as well. They rotate so it moves water in all directions.

A lot of money for a device that is illegal to use in the lake. While you can try, you may end up paying more in fines than the device itself.

Is it illegal? If so, why? Because it rotates? Is it legal for ice in winter but not for after ice out? I don't have weeds so no need but was considering it because I currently have 2 bubblers going but due to shape and size of dock I have to move them around. I figured the rotation would avoid me having to do that.

Do these pool racks pick up a lot of sand when you use them or does it sift through the net leaving just the leaves.

I also use a home-made racker. I use a heavy duty 3 ft steel rack and attach a 1 foot by 3 foot piece of chicken wire to it. Then when you rack you simply follow through with the rack so it is reversed and the leaves all fall onto the chicken wire for removal

Technically, it is illegal to remove or disturb anything on the lake bottom, though in reality difficult to enforce and hopefully enforced within reason. But if I had a neighbor who was using one of these to blow debris out into the lake or onto my shorefront, I'd certainly ask them to stop. Raking and removing leaf litter and debris from your waterfront, fine. Blowing it around and accelerating the eutrophication of the lake, not so much.

Not true?
 

TIt has always been my understanding that I am free to pick up or remove anything from the lake that I can do by hand. Rocks, branches, leaves etc... I assume no one can use an ice eater or the like to remove leaves but not sure how fair that is to people based on location or currents end up with all the leaves. While others get none.

Blowing leaves around does not introduce more leaves it simply moves them so why is that a bad thing?? Just asking for a real answer here?

Ok, so it is legal to use the rotation for my ice bubbler. The illegal part is using it to move leaves.... when there is no ice. Is that correct?

Silt?
 

I feel like the problem is more about blowing silt around and damaging the clarity of the water and making it less hospitable to fish & other wildlife.

If you scrape the bottom, it does and will pick up sand. We have a separate pile for that on the beach and then sift it out once it drys. We've gotten relatively good at NOT scraping the bottom and just getting out the debris to be honest. Takes a little practice, but you learn quite quickly. With the frequency of the waves moving in and out all weekend long, few passes will get you more than you think. Wait a few minutes and before you know it, the waves have acted like a coagulator and ready for a few more passes. We have a smaller beach (50ish feet) and an entire point, so almost like a small cove. Needless to say, it seems to catch most things that come rolling down Alton Bay.

I have started this reply more times than I can count and every time I have been interrupted before I can finish it and post, sorry.

First things first, yes, raking leaves and debris from the lakebed is considered dredging and is a regulated activity under RSA 482-A. (For those who may be curious please feel free to check out RSA 482-A:3,I, (a) and RSA 482-A:21 - 25, http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/.../482-A-mrg.htm.)

The NHDES has through adopted rule, created a permitting exemption for the raking of leaves in the dry from areas of lakebed that are exposed due to drawdown or, more recently, drought (see Env-Wt 309.02(f)).

If the area of lakebed in question is going to be submerged during the leaf removal project, the least environmentally impacting way to accomplish this is raking. One should try to do this work when there is as little wave action as possible. A turbidity curtain should be installed to contain the sediment that will get stirred up until it can settle out. (Think tarps weighted to the bottom and perhaps held up vertically by something like yard/garden stakes.) Done this way, yes, the project removes habitat for macroinvertebrates that are an import base of the food chain and also some of the critters themselves, but it minimizes the introduction of nutrients into the water column, it minimizes the area the sediment settles back onto, and it minimizes the area in which aquatic species will be taking the suspended sediments into their gills.

Adding nutrients into the water column leads to the algae blooms that no one here seems to enjoy. When organic debris and silt settles to the bottom it can contribute nutrients to plant and algae growth but this contribution occurs very slowly. Stir this material into the water column and it spikes the nutrient loading and growth can explode. It's like combustion; it's all about fuel to air ratio. In addition, when the stirred up sediment settles onto areas outside of the dredge area it can suffocate even greater numbers of macroinvertebrates as well as eggs in finfish nests leading to completely unnecessary and avoidable fisheries impacts. These are the reasons that containment during the project is important. These impacts are all maximized when one uses any type of "blower" to relocate their leaf problem.

So please, before using your waverunner, prop, aquatherm, "muck blaster" or any or commercially available system to "blow" leaves out of your swimming area, consider that you may just be moving your problem onto your neighbor and more importantly you are doing it in the single most damaging way possible. Please, choose well...

More Raking or Doormats?
 

Most ice-eaters ("bubblers") direct water upwards, which has little effect on the bottom-dwellers known as benthic macroinvertebrates. ("Benthic" meaning bottom).

It's the "stirring" part that harms the lake's benthic macroinvertebrates.

In the chart below (credit: "Bigpicturebiology), macroinvertebrates that convert organic waste are shown, with their importance to the lake pictured from top to bottom. (Caddis Fly, Damselfly and Mayfly are plentiful in Winter Harbor, so I guess we're doing well there).

Much overlooked are those pictured as "Scud". They are a form of fresh water shrimp, and can be found feeding among the lake's organic debris. If disturbed, they will "swim" up-side down. (Normal for Scud—and Krill).

Leave a coco-fiber doormat in the lake for a few days, and there will be hundreds dropping off when you go to retrieve it. :eek2: