I have a very gradually sloped bank on about half of the pond, and the alligator weed is very difficult to keep under control. I use a pitchfork to rip it up by the roots, but it grows back fully within a month. It can't tolerate deeper water, more than about 1.5 feet, so I can see an advantage of having steeply sloping banks. The weed does make great habitat for minnows, fry, and frogs, with less shoreline vegetation you would see a decrease in these population.
