Greetings from the Coastal Resilience Team!
This month's newsletter contains:
- Lake Michigan Water Level Update
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Resource of the Month: Great Lakes Coastal Shore Protection Structures and Their Effects on Coastal Process
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Community Story: Who should pay for flood mitigation infrastructure?
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Funding Opportunity: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding
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The water levels on all the Great Lakes have continued to be below their monthly record highs as of June 25, 2021. Lake Michigan is now 21 inches below the highest recorded monthly average in June previously set just last year in 2020. Water levels are trending downwards and this can be explained by the Net Basin Supply (NBS). This past May is the fifth month in a row this year where NBS has been below average. While summer tends to be the season where lake levels increase, Lake Michigan is expected to be about the same level time next month.
Check out these five things to know about water levels on Lake Michigan for June 2021.
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Great Lakes Coastal Shore Protection Structures and Their Effects on Coastal Process |
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The publication Great Lakes Coastal Shore Protection Structures and Their Effects on Coastal Process reviews how the coastal processes function on the Great Lakes with influences from the marine climate, area geology, weather, and human-induced effects. It also outlines three common Great Lakes coastal structures, what effect they have on wave action and therefore shoreline responses and scale of coastal protection. These structures include shore parallel structures, shore perpendicular structures and offshore structures. Lastly, this document briefly explains how coastal engineers model and monitor coastal structures and shorelines. You can download this document for free on the Sea Grant webpage. |
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Coastal Resilience Stories from Around the Great Lakes |
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Who should pay for flood mitigation infrastructure? |
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This question is becoming more and more prevalent as communities struggle to deal with fluctuating water levels, severe storms, and increasing development in and along floodplains. This issue really hit home in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, MI. High water levels on Lake Michigan caused canals in this area to overflow private sea walls and flood the streets. One solution is to build the sea walls higher. “City officials have told residents that they are responsible for reinforcing the seawall on their private property — a common local government policy that protects taxpayers from footing the bill for private property improvements”. But when that flooding can affect an entire neighborhood, the question of who should foot the bill becomes more complicated. Read the full articles here and about another similar situation here.
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Summer of 2021, amid record-high water levels in the Great Lakes, water poured into the canals of Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, flooding out homes, yards and streets. Photo Credit: Mel Herrera-Baird |
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EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding |
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Dates:
August 20, 2021 – Applications are due 10:59 p.m CST
June 28, 2021 – Applicant webinar 11:30 - 12:30 p.m. CST
The funding is made possible by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which was launched in 2010 as a non-regulatory program to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world. To read more about this RFA and other Great Lakes funding opportunities visit https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding.
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If you have any questions about Lake Michigan coastal hazards or how to approach, plan, and prepare for them, please contact
Adam Bechle
608-263-5133
For more information, visit the Southeast Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Project website or the Northeast Wisconsin Coastal Resilience Study portal
Follow us on Twitter @sewiresilience for updates
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University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute | (608) 262-0905 | 1975 Willow Drive, 2nd Floor, Madison, WI 53706
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