Local officials preparing for continued impact of rising Lake Michigan waters
Shoreline erosion along N. Bayshore. Photo by Kevin Kamis
By Steve Yencich, Contributing Writer
You get a sense of the helplessness homeowners must feel as they watch their homes slide into Lake Michigan, knowing there’s no insurance to cover the loss. Scott and Polly Walker live on MacKenzie Drive just north of Elk Rapids, where they’ve been since 1988. While no home there, is, as of yet, directly threatened, Walker says there was once roughly 100 feet between his doorstep and the stairs that descend to beach level. Now there are only 50 feet. Some homeowners there banded together, went through the permitting process, and hired contractors to install erosion control structures with varying degrees of success. Walker figures it worked, at least somewhat. “I would imagine we’d have 15-20 feet less beach if we’d taken no action at all.” But covering the cost of the attempt was all out of pocket.
Protected by Grand Traverse Bay, Elk Rapids doesn’t face the severity of problems being seen by communities elsewhere on the Great Lakes. However, that doesn’t mean local government is not preparing to grapple with similar issues. “Right now, we’re blessed compared to the rest,” said Assistant Village Manager Caroline Kennedy. However, Kennedy pointed to several potential problems the village is tracking, including erosion at River and Oak Streets, along with concerns regarding the spillways under Dexter and Cedar Streets. She said there are also concerns for the boardwalk and fishing pier that connect the two. Since these are all waters from the Elk River, the connection to high Lake Michigan levels is not readily apparent. However, officials are concerned with the possibility that increasing Great Lakes levels could slow the outflow of Elk River into the Bay, causing its waters to back up to those spillways and the Elk River Marina.
Marcus Evans, DPW Superintendent, said that the village had already approved the expenditure of up to $25,000 to reinforce the roadbed where River Street curves into Oak with rip rap rock. Evans described the project as more preventative maintenance at this juncture and expects to begin the project after the spring thaw. In other areas, high lake levels have claimed significant portions of the beach at Veterans Memorial Park. Evans says it’s likely the village will have to remove a swing set that now stands with one leg submerged. Having lost majority portions of their public beaches, some communities elsewhere face far more bigger problems.
The Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor is facing potential problems as well. By design, the height of the walkways from the main dock to the slips is adjustable. This allows marina employees to lower the docks when lake levels are low and raise them when lake levels rise. However, there are limits as to how high docks can be adjusted, and many marinas along Lake Michigan shoreline find their docks underwater. While Harbormaster Mike Singleton says that some docks have been changed to their maximum height here, those docks are now well above the water, and not likely to be threatened. There are also some concerns for the breakwater, which will eventually be examined and addressed as needed. “It’s been there for decades, but I see no evidence of any engineering studies in our files,” said Singleton. Harbor officials will look at conducting a study sometime later this year.
“The village is fortunate, as we don’t have a lot of infrastructure exposed to Grand Traverse Bay,” said one official. One very significant Antrim County asset, the power dam, sits safe and secure despite its location where Elk River meets the Bay. While the building and site itself are safe from lake levels, what about the ability of the site operators, “Elk Rapids Hydroelectric,” to generate power? At what point would continued increases in Lake Michigan levels affect the turbines’ ability to generate electricity?
Apparently, that happens all the time, even when caused only by seasonal changes. “We’re currently down about 30-40% in terms of power generation,” said Bill Stockhausen, one of the owners of the firm hired to operate the dam. The dam needs two things to generate electricity: water volume and enough of a drop from Elk River to the Bay below to spin the turbines. “Record water level lows were recorded around 11 years ago. Back then, it got so bad it uncovered the tops of the draft tubes.” That affected power generation as well. Stockhausen said it would take approximately 2.5-foot increase over historic highs to theoretically stop power generation, something he believes highly unlikely to happen.
The US Army Corps of Engineers projects that lake levels will likely break records set in 1986 this July, but the question is how long before waters recede? Until the answer makes itself known, affected homeowners and beach communities around the Great Lakes will be forced to hunker down, prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and try to figure out how to cover the costs that will come either way.
You get a sense of the helplessness homeowners must feel as they watch their homes slide into Lake Michigan, knowing there’s no insurance to cover the loss. Scott and Polly Walker live on MacKenzie Drive just north of Elk Rapids, where they’ve been since 1988. While no home there, is, as of yet, directly threatened, Walker says there was once roughly 100 feet between his doorstep and the stairs that descend to beach level. Now there are only 50 feet. Some homeowners there banded together, went through the permitting process, and hired contractors to install erosion control structures with varying degrees of success. Walker figures it worked, at least somewhat. “I would imagine we’d have 15-20 feet less beach if we’d taken no action at all.” But covering the cost of the attempt was all out of pocket.
Protected by Grand Traverse Bay, Elk Rapids doesn’t face the severity of problems being seen by communities elsewhere on the Great Lakes. However, that doesn’t mean local government is not preparing to grapple with similar issues. “Right now, we’re blessed compared to the rest,” said Assistant Village Manager Caroline Kennedy. However, Kennedy pointed to several potential problems the village is tracking, including erosion at River and Oak Streets, along with concerns regarding the spillways under Dexter and Cedar Streets. She said there are also concerns for the boardwalk and fishing pier that connect the two. Since these are all waters from the Elk River, the connection to high Lake Michigan levels is not readily apparent. However, officials are concerned with the possibility that increasing Great Lakes levels could slow the outflow of Elk River into the Bay, causing its waters to back up to those spillways and the Elk River Marina.
Marcus Evans, DPW Superintendent, said that the village had already approved the expenditure of up to $25,000 to reinforce the roadbed where River Street curves into Oak with rip rap rock. Evans described the project as more preventative maintenance at this juncture and expects to begin the project after the spring thaw. In other areas, high lake levels have claimed significant portions of the beach at Veterans Memorial Park. Evans says it’s likely the village will have to remove a swing set that now stands with one leg submerged. Having lost majority portions of their public beaches, some communities elsewhere face far more bigger problems.
The Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor is facing potential problems as well. By design, the height of the walkways from the main dock to the slips is adjustable. This allows marina employees to lower the docks when lake levels are low and raise them when lake levels rise. However, there are limits as to how high docks can be adjusted, and many marinas along Lake Michigan shoreline find their docks underwater. While Harbormaster Mike Singleton says that some docks have been changed to their maximum height here, those docks are now well above the water, and not likely to be threatened. There are also some concerns for the breakwater, which will eventually be examined and addressed as needed. “It’s been there for decades, but I see no evidence of any engineering studies in our files,” said Singleton. Harbor officials will look at conducting a study sometime later this year.
“The village is fortunate, as we don’t have a lot of infrastructure exposed to Grand Traverse Bay,” said one official. One very significant Antrim County asset, the power dam, sits safe and secure despite its location where Elk River meets the Bay. While the building and site itself are safe from lake levels, what about the ability of the site operators, “Elk Rapids Hydroelectric,” to generate power? At what point would continued increases in Lake Michigan levels affect the turbines’ ability to generate electricity?
Apparently, that happens all the time, even when caused only by seasonal changes. “We’re currently down about 30-40% in terms of power generation,” said Bill Stockhausen, one of the owners of the firm hired to operate the dam. The dam needs two things to generate electricity: water volume and enough of a drop from Elk River to the Bay below to spin the turbines. “Record water level lows were recorded around 11 years ago. Back then, it got so bad it uncovered the tops of the draft tubes.” That affected power generation as well. Stockhausen said it would take approximately 2.5-foot increase over historic highs to theoretically stop power generation, something he believes highly unlikely to happen.
The US Army Corps of Engineers projects that lake levels will likely break records set in 1986 this July, but the question is how long before waters recede? Until the answer makes itself known, affected homeowners and beach communities around the Great Lakes will be forced to hunker down, prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and try to figure out how to cover the costs that will come either way.
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