Dunes Shoreline Restoration Plan Approved
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA plan to restore the beach along the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has received final approval. The milestone means the Lakeshore will be placed on a schedule to treat erosion and damage. November 10, 2014
News Release
INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE, Ind. — Final approval has been given for Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Shoreline Restoration and Management Plan. A Record of Decision (ROD) for the plan and Environmental Impact Statement was signed by Acting Regional Director Patricia S. Trap on October 21, 2014. This allows the National Park Service, in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, to begin an annual schedule of beach nourishment to remedy erosion and damage to the dunes and beaches of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
The effected beaches within the National Lakeshore extend from Trail Creek in Michigan City to U.S. Steel in Gary. As described in the final plan the shoreline in this area suffers from erosion that threatens national park resources, recreation opportunities, homes, and businesses. The final plan was prepared to provide scientifically-based alternatives for the restoration of natural sediment movement along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Beach nourishment is the placing of sand, or sand mixed with small natural stones, onto beaches to replace the sand that would normally occur through natural processes. In places along the shoreline, harbor structures interfere with the natural movement of sand in Lake Michigan.
Source: National Park Service