DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With record high Lake Michigan levels, some areas in the Door County Town of Clay Banks are seeing erosion and other damage. Local leaders are asking the state to help with repair costs.
The stretch of shoreline is one of Paul Vincent Bartlett’s favorite spots. But he tells FOX 11 rising lake levels make it challenging.
“It is harder to get from point A, to point B, to C, to D, to E.”
Bartlett says he’s not surprised recent wind and rain damaged part of the nearby road.
Cones blocked the shoulder on South Lake Michigan Drive in the Town of Clay Banks on Thursday. Only a couple feet separate the pavement from a five-foot drop to the shoreline below. Town leaders declared the area an emergency, and are asking for help.
“They’re getting the process started to be eligible for state funding through the Wisconsin Disaster Fund. This program is designed to help recoup some of the cost against some of these local municipalities that maybe don’t have the money to fully rebuild themselves,” said Dan Kane, Door County Emergency Management Director.
Kane tells FOX 11 if approved, the state will reimburse the Town of Clay Banks once repairs start. He says as Lake Michigan rises, shoreline erosion will be more common.
“It’s just a matter of how many more storms are we going to have. We could be just one storm away form really seeing some significant roadway damage.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers monitors Great Lakes levels.
It reports the Lake Michigan is at its all-time high for the month of May, and Lake Michigan is expected to rise another two inches, in June.
