Planting aquatic plants along the riparian zone
An effective way to block pollutants from getting in to your water ways is planting native plants as a buffer between the land and water. Shoreline buffers should have a variety of hardy and soft stem species, and a variety of flower bearing and berry producing plants to block runoff and take up nutrients and pollutants from fertilizer, septic and runoff.
Planting native aquatic plants along the riparian zone provides a barrier and protects against erosion. By reducing erosion, less sediment is carried into the water. Reducing sediment helps keep fish breading areas clear, reduces excess nutrients, and makes water treatment easier.
The benefits of shoreline buffers include:
- Increased fish, bird and wildlife habitat
- Stabilized shorelines
- Improved water quality
List of common native aquatic plants (Ontario)
- Acorus Calamus/ Sweet Flag
- Iris Versicolor/ Blue flag Iris
- Alisma subcordatum/ American water plantain
- Pontederia cordata/ Pickerel weed
- Sagittaria latifolia / Broadleaf Arrowhead
- Carex lurida/Shallow Sedge
- Calla palustris/Bog arum
- Aster laevis/ Smooth aster
