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Beach/Littoral Nourishment
Beach nourishment became a standard practice largely with the passage
of the 1968 Rivers and Harbors Act. Section 111 of the Act authorized
beach nourishment as a mitigation measure of shore damages attributable
to in-water structures, such as jetties and breakwaters, that hampered
natural littoral nourishment. The Great Lakes' coasts are subjected to
wind and wave action and natural littoral drift of sand and sediment along
the shore. If material is not replaced through natural littoral movement,
beaches and shorelines erode. Where erosion is a problem, strategic placement
of dredged material along the shore or offshore can provide a source of
nourishment for littoral movement or recreational beach improvement and
creation.
Illinois
At Waukegan Harbor, Illinois, approximately 50,000
cubic yards of clean sandy material from the entrance channel of the harbor
is dredged annually and placed nearshore to provide a source of nourishment
for littoral movement. Most recently, the dredged material has been placed
nearshore off of Illinois Beach State Park several miles north of Waukegan.
Prior to that, the dredged material was placed nearshore south (downdrift)
of Waukegan Harbor. Dredging is performed by mechanical dredge and transported
by barge to disposal location.
Contact:
Don Wadleigh, Operations Project Manager
USACE Chicago District
111 N. Canal Street
Chicago, IL 60606-7205
P: 312-353-6400 x4015
E: Donald.E.Wadleigh@usace.army.mil
Clean, sandy material dredged from Wilmette Harbor
(maintenance dredging) is clamshelled onto a barge and off-loaded downdrift
of the harbor for beach nourishment.
Contact:
Bruce Yurdin
Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water
1021 N. Grand Ave. E.
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
P: 217-782-3362
F: 217-785-7725
E: epa1177@epa.state.il.us
Indiana
At Michigan City Harbor, Indiana, approximately
85,000 cubic yards of sandy material from the outer harbor was dredged
in 2000 by hydraulic dredge and pumped onto the beach west (downdrift)
of the harbor. The beach at this location is part of the Indiana
Dunes National Lakeshore. The beach nourishment helps prevent erosion
of Mt. Baldy, the major sand dune at the eastern terminus of the national
lakeshore. In past periodic dredging, when the outer harbor has been dredged,
the material also has been disposed on the beach.
Contact:
Don Wadleigh, Operations Project Manager
USACE Chicago District
111 N. Canal Street
Chicago, IL 60606-7205
P: 312-353-6400 x4015
E: Donald.E.Wadleigh@usace.army.mil
At Burns Waterway Small Boat Harbor, Indiana,
approximately 142,000 cubic yards of material from the harbor was dredged
in 2000 by hydraulic dredge and pumped to the beach west (downdrift) of
the harbor. The beach in this area is part of the Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore. This was the first time Burns Waterway Small Boat Harbor was
dredged since being constructed in 1984.
Contact:
Don Wadleigh, Operations Project Manager
USACE Chicago District
111 N. Canal Street
Chicago, IL 60606-7205
P: 312-353-6400 x4015
E: Donald.E.Wadleigh@usace.army.mil
Michigan
Beach/littoral nourishment projects occur regularly in Michigan. Clean
sand dredged from the outer portion of navigation channels at many Michigan
harbors is placed in the nearshore area either to the north or south of
the harbor. Harbors where this occurs include Arcadia,
Au Sable, Big Bay, Black River (Gogebic), Bolles Harbor, Grand Haven (outer),
Grand Traverse Bay, Harrisville, Holland (outer), Lac LaBelle, Leland,
Lexington, Little Lake, Ludington, Manistee, Menominee, Muskegon (outer),
New Buffalo (outer), Ontonagon, Pentwater, Port Sanilac, Portage Lake,
Saugatuck, South Haven, St. Joseph, White Lake and Whitefish Point. Approximately
400,000 cubic yards of dredged material is used for beach nourishment
throughout the state each year. This represents somewhere between 30 and
40 percent of all material dredged from federal navigation channels in
Michigan each year.
Contact:
Hal Harrington, Chief
Submerged Lands Unit
Land and Water Management Division
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Hollister Bldg.
116 Allegan St.
Lansing, MI 48909-7958
P: 517-373-4608,
F: 517-241-8098
E: harringh@state.mi.us
Minnesota
Clean sand dredged from Duluth-Superior Harbor entrance channels and basins
was placed at Minnesota Point in 1996 and 1998 (113,000
cubic yards in 1998 and 50,000 cubic yards in 1996) and at Wisconsin Point,
WI in 1983 and 1990 (45,000 cubic yards in 1990 and 44,000 cubic
yards in 1983). The material was placed at various locations that were
susceptible to erosion. Suitable "clean" dredging project areas
were within a reasonable distance of the beach nourishment sites. This
activity provided the impetus for ongoing beach nourishment, which continues
at these locations.
Contacts:
Mike Peloquin
Area Hydrologist
Minnesota DNR-Waters
1568 Highway 2
Two Harbors, MN 55616
P: 218-834-6621
F: 218-834-6639
E: mike.peloquin@dnr.state.mn.us
Al Klein
Duluth Area Office
USACE Detroit District
600 Lake Avenue S./Canal Park
Duluth, MN 55802
P: 218-720-5264
F: 218-720-5270
E: Alvin.J.Klein@lre02.usace.army.mil
New York
New York state encourages the use of clean dredged material for beach
enhancement projects along the Lake Erie coastline. An ongoing dredging
program for small boat marinas and boat launch areas in the towns of Evans,
Hamburg and the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek results in
clean fill that is used to enhance sand beaches along the Lake Erie coast.
The beach enhancements have contributed to the beaches becoming popular
family recreation areas.
Contact:
Jeffrey Schmidt
New York State DEC
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY 12233
P: 518-457-6072
F: 518-457-1283
E: jschmidt@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Ohio
Several beach/littoral nourishment projects have been completed or are
underway in Ohio.
• Sand dredged from the marina channel at Geneva
State Park is placed in the nearshore east of the marina.
• A permanent hydraulic bypass system was installed at a marina near
Huron, Ohio.
• Sand dredged during construction and maintenance of the West Harbor
was placed nearshore at East Harbor State Park.
• Sand from Conneaut Harbor will be placed along the shoreline drift
(east) of Conneaut into Pennsylvania.
Contact:
George Elmaraghy
Assistant Director
Division of Surface Water
Ohio EPA
Lazarus Government Center
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049
P: 614-644-2041
F: 614-644-2745
E: george.elmaraghy@epa.state.oh.us
Pennsylvania
Since the early 1900s when Conneaut, Ohio's, harbor was significantly
altered for commercial navigation purposes, harbor structures have increasingly
interfered with the eastward littoral drift of beach sand. This long-term
blockage of littoral drift material effectively starves the beaches to
the east of the harbor, leading to rapid erosion of the shoreline while
creating sediment buildup in other parts of the harbor. The Corps' original
plans, which called for open lake disposal, were revised pursuant to requests
by Ohio and Pennsylvania to be consistent with state Coastal Zone Management
programs that promote shoreline stability. As a result, approximately
40,000 cubic yards of clean sand dredged from Conneaut
Harbor was placed along the Ohio shoreline of Lake Erie with the intent
of allowing the material to nourish Pennsylvania's beaches through natural
littoral drift.
Contact:
Shamus Malone, Chief
Monitoring and Technical Assistance
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Office for River Basin Cooperation
Coastal Zone Management Program
P.O. Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063
P: 717-772-4785
E: smalone@state.pa.us
Presque
Isle State Park, located along the Lake Erie shoreline, implemented
an innovative erosion protection project, which included the beneficial
use of dredged material for beach nourishment as well as shore protection.
Approximately 40,000 cubic yards of clean sand dredged from a sand spit
in Presque Isle Bay was de-watered then placed along a multi-purpose shoreline
trail. The dredged material was placed over rip-rap to create a higher
elevation dune line for greater protection against higher waves. The project
combined the beneficial use of dredged material with landscaping and native
vegetation planting to reduce sediment loadings into Lake Erie and protect
the natural and recreational features of Presque Isle State Park.
Contact
Shamus Malone, Chief
Monitoring and Technical Assistance
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Office for River Basin Cooperation
Coastal Zone Management Program
P.O. Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063
P: 717-772-4785
E: smalone@state.pa.us
Wisconsin
Beach/littoral nourishment is conducted at several locations in Wisconsin.
• Clean sand from Two Rivers Harbor entrance is deposited north of
the north harbor breakwater, adjacent to a public sand beach owned by
the city of Two Rivers.
• Beach nourishment also has been successful at Sheboygan Harbor
(outer).
• Material from Superior Harbor's entrance and inner harbor was mechanically
dredged and transported to open water adjacent to a sand beach on Wisconsin
Point. This project showed no effect on beach profile because the material
contained large amounts of clay.
• Clean dredged material is regularly placed in areas subject to
erosion at Port Wing and Cornucopia harbors by hydraulic dredge.
Contacts:
Ron Fassbender,
Lakeshore GMU Leader
Wisconsin DNR
110 Neenah Ave,
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
P: 902-746-2875
F: 902-746-2863
E: fassbr@dnr.state.wi.us
Ted Smith
1401 Tower Ave
Superior, WI 54880
P: 715-395-6911
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