Great Lakes Coastal Storms Program

Dangerous waves and currents are the number one risk to recreational water users in the Great Lakes. This project will address the pressing need to raise awareness on how to recognize and respond to dangerous currents and will provide the latest products that can help save lives. The project will also develop long-term strategies that incorporate regional collaboration, as well as the latest technology into beach hazard messaging and outreach. Project managers will create new, consistent messages around dangerous currents and waves for Great Lakes beaches based on past experience and recent research. Beach safety equipment (e.g., life jackets, throw rings, throw bags, and rescue boards) will also be distributed along Great Lakes beaches with additional risk communication materials. 

Real-time observations of rip currents are currently not available for the shorelines in Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. This project will use innovative beach hazard forecasting technology to improve rip current identification, forecasting and public notification. Video-imaging will allow for identification and detection of hazardous wave conditions. Computer models will be applied to the beaches, which will allow researchers to better predict hazardous wave conditions. Three rip-current-prone beaches are being targeted, including Bradford Beach (Milwaukee, WI), North Beach (Port Washington, WI), and Park Point Beach (Duluth, MN). Project members will coordinate with local communities to apply the results of the project to improve the management and public safety at their beaches, and increase public awareness about dangerous waves and currents in the Great Lakes.

Since 2006, Lake County in northeastern Ohio has endured both 250-year and 500-year storm events. One community experienced flooding of over 70% of the residential structures due to undersized stormwater infrastructure. This project seeks to improve the green infrastructure planning and implementation that can help reduce runoff volumes, limit damages and help Lake County communities recover more quickly from heavy precipitation events. Using future climate modeling projections, the Chagrin River Watershed Partners (CRWP) will update their existing model codes for riparian setbacks, comprehensive stormwater management, and flood damage reduction. CRWP will then work with communities to adopt these updated codes. North Carolina State University will use a model (DRAINMOD) to determine which bioretention and permeable pavement designs will perform best under predicted and extreme climate change rainfall scenarios. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will use the model results to evaluate the design guidance in the Rainwater and Land Development Manual. 

Many towns in the Lake Champlain Basin use FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) to control development in vulnerable locations. However, these maps do not indicate erosion flooding risks, which are a more common hazard in this region. To address this gap, flood information from the past 50 years will be used to compare the frequency of impacts of three different flood hazard mapping methods: FIRMS, NRCS Floodable soils layers, and FEH zones.  Following this analysis, current river corridor zoning regulations will be evaluated in two Lake Champlain Basin rivers (Ausable River, NY and Winooski River, VT) to highlight the areas at increased risk for future flooding. 

The Great Lakes coastal region experienced extensive storm impacts from Superstorm Sandy, resulting in massive infrastructure failures, to loss of property and more. While hurricane preparedness plans exist for many marinas found along other coastal areas of the United States that are more regularly exposed to hurricanes and large storm events (e.g., East Coast and Gulf of Mexico), these plans may not be applicable to the types of coastal hazards faced by Great Lakes marinas. To help prepare Great Lakes marinas for the risks associated with coastal storms, a regionalized ‘coastal storms preparedness, adaptation, and response’ tool will be developed to guide marinas in implementing long-term hazard mitigation. The tool will also provide marinas with the necessary planning resources to properly respond to hazardous storm events. The final guide will be shared throughout the basin via the Great Lakes Clean Marina Network and through regional workshops.  

Between two rocky headlands at the mouth of the Au Train River along the south central Lake Superior coastline, lies a picturesque sand pocket beach adjacent to a major state highway, making this an attractive yet challenging coastal setting. Wave action, erosion and the formation of sand bars and ice dams, due to storms over Lake Superior, regularly threaten to undercut the highway. Stakeholders want to prevent an emergency situation where stabilization of the road would require a large installation of riprap, degrading the scenic beach, which is a locally valuable economic resource. This project will contribute to a cooperative, proactive plan for shoreline protection and hazard mitigation while preserving the natural system. A major focus of this effort will be the completion of a high-precision nearshore hydrographic survey, which will be used as input to the Delft3D nearshore hydrodynamic model capable of modeling 3D flows, sediment transport, waves, water quality, morphology, and ecology. The resulting model will provide a detailed picture of the coastal dynamics and associated risks to infrastructure. Risk and vulnerability assessments will also aid community planning decisions for potential mitigation and adaptation strategies to address erosion and flooding in the area.