Strong waves pound the shoreline along Lake Front Drive in Beverly Shores, Indiana, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. Porter County Commissioners are expected to ask for federal emergency assistance to help with Lake Michigan erosion in Beverly Shores(Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
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For more information on beach access at the park, contact the park’s information desk at 219-395-1882 or go to www.nps.gov/indu.
Two emergency projects are taking place this week in Beverly Shores to fight against erosion to Lake Michigan that is threatening the town’s infrastructure.
One involves refurbishing sand and restoring a revetment along Lake Front Drive by South Hutchinson Avenue, and the other is using sand traps to stabilize the Lake View parking area in the Indiana Dunes National Park, said Geof Benson, a member of the Beverly Shores Town Council.
“This is a triage project in that these are the two places it’s bleeding the most,” Benson said
During a Dec. 20 emergency meeting, the town council approved spending upwards of $360,000 for the work. The town is paying for materials and equipment for the work along Lake Front Drive and is relying on volunteers to direct traffic and handle other tasks, Benson said, adding at Lake View, the National Park Service will provide equipment and manpower.
“We’re trying to utilize this warmer weather,” he said, adding temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s by early next month, likely bringing north winds that will further contribute to the erosion.
Benson met earlier this month with county and state officials to seek financial assistance for the work to no avail but now that the work is moving forward, “they’re looking for places they could plug in and reduce our cost.”
On Dec. 17, the Porter County Board of Commissioners issued an emergency declaration for the northern shoreline of the county along Lake Michigan, sparked by the “extreme erosion” that is threatening Lake Front Drive.
The declaration, commissioners have said, is in effect through mid-January and unlocks the ability for the municipalities and other agencies to access state and federal funds to resolve the matter. Other municipalities along the lakeshore, including Beverly Shores, were expected to issue their own emergency declarations as well.
Gas and other utility lines are located under the road, county officials have said, and the loss of the road would mean that between four and 10 homeowners would not able to access their residences. Emergency vehicles also would not be able to get to the residences.
Commissioners have said that the declaration also opens the door for the county to provide support services to Beverly Shores for the work as needed.
Sand from City Sand arrived at the Lake Front Drive site Monday, Benson said, and work at the Lake View site will start Friday. Erosion recently closed the Lake View parking lot and beach access within the national park at least until May.
The town and park will work together to install and fill 300 linear feet of sand traps on the beach above the high water mark in front of the parking lot and road, Bruce Rowe, supervisory park ranger and public information officer for the national park, said in a Monday release.
The public can assist, Rowe added, by staying out of the area while heavy equipment installs the sand traps and fills them with sand.
“Lake Michigan’s water level remains well above the long-term average,” Rowe said in the release. “The higher lake level, in combination with recent storm waves, has resulted in continued erosion and narrower beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline.”
The park service, he added, will continue to monitor the conditions at Lake View and along the entire 15 miles of park shoreline.
The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk has already been heavily damaged by erosion, with the loss of walkways and a viewing platform. In recent weeks, Lake Michigan waves breached a dune protecting the pavilion there.
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