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Home My Public Portal About20050000.pdf Ludington Project July 1993 DLH Photos by Marge Beaver Nov. 1984 Photo by DLHolmberg Ludington Project July 1986 July 2005 19 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Ludington Project Nov.1985 July 2005 20 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Ludington Project Nov. 1985 July 1992 Seven Years later Photos by DLHolmberg Ludington Project Nov.1984 Funded by Harold Cabe July 2000 16 Years Later DLH Photoss by Marge Beaver Ludington Project June 1983 July 2005 22 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Montague Project Nov. 1985 Owners Harold Decker & Muskegon County June 2003 18 Years Later Deckers & Mienert Park Photos by DLHolmberg Montague Project Nov. 1986 Decker & Lost Valley Association June 2003 17 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Whitehall Project 1983 Funded by Sylvan Beach & Murray Beach Associations 1985 7-2000 2 Yrs. Later DLH Photoss by Marge Beaver 17 Years Later Whitehall Project 1984 ^ South June 2003 19 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Whitehall Project 1984 ^ North June 2003 19 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Duck Lake Project 1985 DLH Photo by Marge Beaver State Funded 1985 June 2003 Photo by DLHolmberg 18 Years Later Photo by DLHolmberg Michigan Academician, Winter 2004 Shore Protection and Coastal Change on the Lake Michigan Shore: Duck Lake, Orchard Beach State Park, and Onekama, Michigan David Barnes Michael S. Kovacich Santos Limesz Western Michigan University GEORANS, Ann Arbor Consultant, St. Joseph ABSTRACT A high-resolution beach profile change-monitoring program was conducted during generally high water in the 1990s at three sites along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in a variety of coastal geological settings to evaluate an experimental shore protection technology called the Undercurrent Stabilizer System™. Shore protection structures at all three sites produced minimal negative impact at and immediately adjacent to the study sites and generally resulted in significant net accretion of near-shore sediment in and around the structures during the study period compared to control sites. Local complexities and variations in coastal processes and conditions (especially local long shore transport, coastal substrates and geological setting, and other existent engineered structures) play a critical role in the specific performance characteristics of these small (property owner) scale shore protection structures in the Great Lakes region. A fundamental factor in the evaluation of coastal change associated with shore protection on eastern Lake Michigan (as well as many other areas of the Great Lakes) is that net transport of sand is offshore, especially during periods of prolonged high water levels. Maintenance of long-term sediment budgets through input of beach-grade sand is dependent on the erosion of upland (bluff dune materials) or nourishment. The use of coastal monitoring results for coastal planning, development, and permitting decisions requires careful consideration of several factors: the intent of the monitoring project in terms of spatial scale and time frame of influence of the structures that are monitored and the appropriateness of extrapolating monitoring results to other areas with substantially different coastal setting. Although the overall results of the study indicate that no substantial negative impact occurs within the experimental structure study sites compared to control sites, we believe that the isolation and protection of back-shore coastal sediments from wave action through the use of any shore protection technology will ultimately result in increasing offshore loss of near-shore sand throughout the eastern Lake Michigan coastal system. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE Hard shore protection is considered with increasing skepticism by coastal management community in the U.S. Permits for shore protection are very critically reviewed by state and federal coastal managers in Michigan, especially shore-perpendicular structures projecting on to "state owned bottom land." Much of lower Michigan Great Lakes shoreline comprise erodible coastal substrates. Periodically high water levels in the recent past have resulted in accelerated bluff/dune recession rates, and future high water level periods will undoubtedly result in a public outcry for "protection." This paper presents the final results of coastal change monitoring studies of small scale experimental shore protection technology marketed as the Undercurrent Stabilizer System™. The studies were conducted in three study areas along the eastern Lake Michigan shore: near Duck Lake State Park north of Muskegon, near Orchard Beach State Park north of Manistee, and North of Onekama, MI (Figure 1). Coastal change monitoring was conducted from 1991 through 1998 (see time line, Table 1). The purpose of these studies is to document the overall impact of the experimental shore protection structures and assess the effectiveness of this approach to Great Lakes coastal engineering practices relative to other shore protection alternatives, including no action. A complete discussion of general study background is presented in Duck Lake Outlet Demonstration Project Undercurrent Stabilizer System™ Shore -Stabilization/Accretion Program Find Report of 1991-1996 Surveys (Barnes 1998; available from the author, see references). Duck Lake Project Nov. 1982 State Funded 6-3-2003 21 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Duck Lake Project June 1991 State Funded 6-3-2003 12 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Duck Lake Project Oct. 1985 State Funded June 2005 20 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Norton Shores Project May 1997 June 2000 Funded by Jim Westgate & Jim Tyler 3 Years Later DLH Photoss by Marge Beaver May 1995 ^ Northern Adjacent Shore Start of Project Photo by DLHolmberg Norton Shores Project Aug. 1996 July 2005 Nine Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Norton Shores Project June 1996 July 2005 Nine Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg Norton Shores Project May 1997 June 2000 DLH Photos by Marge Beaver 3 Years Later May 2005 8 Years Later Photo by DLHolmberg Grand Haven Project Jan.1986 Funded By Scott Shapiro Photo by DLHolmberg Oct. 1987 June 2000 1 Year Later DLH Photos by Marge Beaver 14 Years Later Grand Haven Project Oct. 1987 Stickney Ridge 6-30-2000 13 Years Later DLH Photos by Marge Beaver Grand Haven Project 1987 June 1992 5 Years Later Photos by DLHolmberg