"brooklyn1" wrote in message
...
You cannot repair that yourself, in fact under riparian law you'll
probably need permission to touch it, so don't go digging holes to put in
plants. Before doing anything I suggest you contact the appropriate
government agencies; begin by speaking with your town clerk about which
agencies you might contact... begin at the local level and work up from
the town to county to state to federal.

Didn't you notice that river when you purchased your property (how could
you not - all you saw was a pretty lazy river -changing weather conditions
and liability never occured to you), didn't you check into who is
responsible for maintaining the river banks, and whether you're in a flood
plain.. you should have received such info at closing under full
disclosure law... you may need to engage an attorney and sue the
realtor/seller, if so do NOT choose a local attorney. I have no idea what
your property is about, like elevation, acreage, and how much frontage is
on that river, but it sure sounds like you are probably in very deep
doodoo. Speak to your neighbors who also front that river, on a river
that size you can't be the only one with erosion. If this erosion is from
an isolated major weather event there may already be a government relief
program underway, if so find out where to get and submit the forms to put
yourself on record as applying for help. I suggest you move quickly.
And start taking lots of photos (hopefully you have photos of the area
prior to the erosion), and keep a daily log of weather conditions, take
pictures every time it rains and/or there's high water. The one thing you
have going for you is with a river of that magnetude you're not the only
one who's affected by the erosion. I went through all the above but found
no help because the town was only responsible for the 50 feet either side
of the road center the stream passes under via culvert, and I was the only
one affected. So rather than waste time and energy banging my head
against the proverbial brick wall of government I decided to pay for the
repair myself... and I wasn't about to wait for the damage to become
worse.

You may find something helpful here, perhaps if you caontact them they can
give guidance: http://www.erosioncontrol.com/



The yard behind the the bank is quite long so there is no emergency. I was
fully aware of the issue. We could lose 100' before the septic system is a
problem. There is a shelter near the edge that I would rather not move,
but in some ways, moving it would be a lot cheaper and easier than screwing
with the bank.