Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters Dads' Rights
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations Illinois Legislature
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” Crime
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs Business
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago Cook County
  • On Saturday, October 4th, Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar hosted the Fifth Annual 16th District Dia de los Muertos Resource Fair at his district office. Partnering with Commissioner Aguilar were the Village of Lyons, Lyons School District 103, Teamsters Local 777, and Rincon Family Services.
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Hosts Fifth Annual Dia de los Muertos Family Resource Fair  Cook County
  • Jesse Jackson Jr July 2025
    Jesse Jackson Jr. Launches Candidacy for Congress Civil Rights
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to Celebrate Diwali by Recognizing Indian Community Leaders Cook County
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Statement of US Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and Federal Law Enforcement Leadership in Chicago on Ongoing Criminal Immigration Enforcement Operations Chicago
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes Cook County
  • Road construction cement truck. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Hastings: $123 million in IDOT projects will improve South Suburban roads through collaboration with local leaders construction
  • Source: Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
    Ratepayers will lose in the rush to approve battery storage electricity legislation in Springfield Business
  • Joyful reunion photo courtesy of Jeffery M. Leving & Assc law firm
    Leving Team Prevented a Father’s Wrongful Separation from His Child Dads' Rights
  • CTF Illinois Orland Park, 18230 Orland Pkwy, Orland Park, IL 60467
    Hastings, Giannoulias announce opening of temporary driver services facility in Orland Park Baby Boomers
  • Emagine Theater Pink popcorn
    Popcorn with a purpose: Emagine Theatres brings back Pink Caramel Corn to support Pink Fund during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Business
Anti-shoreline erosion projects courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

Illinois tackling harmful Lake Michigan shoreline erosion at Illinois Beach State Park

Posted on January 12, 2023January 13, 2023 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Illinois tackling harmful Lake Michigan shoreline erosion at Illinois Beach State Park
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Illinois tackling harmful Lake Michigan shoreline erosion at Illinois Beach State Park

Two projects aim to curb erosion of beach and natural habitats

Two ground-breaking projects underway at Illinois Beach State Park will help protect precious shoreline from erosion caused by Lake Michigan waves and inform future decisions about how to blunt the effects of erosion and climate change, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Capital Development Board announced today.

Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County, home to unique prairie and wetland habitat and a beloved local and regional recreational draw, features the last remaining natural shoreline in the state. However, the shore is constantly battered by Lake Michigan waves, making it a priority for preservation and mitigation efforts.

Some parts of the park’s coastline have receded by as much as 100 feet in one year. Aerial photos and maps show how the shoreline, roads and dune ecosystems have been drastically altered; visitors can see evidence of some of the damage in person.

“Illinois’ lakefronts are a national treasure and one of our greatest natural resources, and it’s essential that we preserve these spaces for future generations to love and learn from,” Governor Pritzker said.

Anti-shoreline erosion projects courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Anti-shoreline erosion projects courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

 

“This historic, ambitious project from IDNR and its partners is a commitment that Illinois will continue to tackle the effects of the climate crisis head on and work to build a cleaner, more sustainable Illinois for everyone to enjoy.”

 

Largest capital project in IDNR history will protect shoreline

The larger of the two projects is construction of a revolutionary system to preserve 2.2 miles of Illinois Beach State Park shoreline. This is a $73 million project, which is believed to be the largest capital project in the history of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Funding for the project was secured by the Capital Development Board (CDB) and made possible through the historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan. Construction is set to begin in spring 2023.

“It is a priority for IDNR and the State of Illinois to do everything we can to protect the precious public shoreline at Illinois Beach and the native species that live there before they both vanish forever,” said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan.

Anti-shoreline erosion projects courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Anti-shoreline erosion projects courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

Rather than stopping erosion by building walls or high-profile coastal structures, the design seeks to guide and direct the movement of the sand instead of simply trying to prevent its movement. The approach uses creatively shaped and formulated islands and submerged reef structures, positioned out in the lake rather than built directly along the shore. These structures serve multiple roles, blocking and reducing the erosive force of incoming waves, redirecting nearshore currents, and providing a new home to aquatic and avian species that live along the shoreline.

The unique solution is the result of more than a year of computer simulations and intense physical modeling to explore how Lake Michigan waves would behave passing around the structures and ultimately transform the shoreline. To test and verify design performance, consultants built a scale model in a giant hydraulic laboratory in the United Kingdom – larger than a soccer field – to replicate conditions along 11,000 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline.

More than 100 variations of possible shoreline solutions were tested until an effective solution was found. The lessons learned through this trailblazing effort set new standards and guidelines for how living shoreline design can manage highly erosive wave forces while remaining as natural as possible.

The completed project will utilize about 250,000 tons of rock fill and armor material, creating 22 submerged and low emergent stone breakwaters covering 12.2 acres of lakebed and renourishing the shoreline with nearly 430,000 cubic yards of sand.

This goal of this massive effort is to protect critical ecological habitats like the 21st Street wetlands and the North Dunes Nature Preserve Trails, as well as vulnerable infrastructure like the Lake County intake plant.

Visitors will not see much of the protective structures because they will be underwater. Protecting the lake views and natural character of Illinois Beach State Park were a priority.

“This approach reflects a broader change in the way shorelines are being protected around the globe,” Callahan said. “Our project explores new ground and sets new standards for what living shorelines can be and what we can achieve in the Great Lakes.”

The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) will oversee the project’s design and construction in accordance with the protocol for state-appropriated projects.

“The construction at Illinois State Beach is critical to stabilizing shoreline erosion and ensuring the property is preserved,” said CDB Executive Director Jim Underwood.

‘Rubble ridges’ pilot project could become model for other states

The second project involves the installation of stone “rubble ridges” in Lake Michigan off the southern end of the Illinois Beach State Park coastline. This pilot project is an example of an innovative design focused on development of lower impact and less expensive measures that can protect shoreline.

During the summer of 2021, crews finished constructing three 750-foot-long rubble ridges in the shallow water of Lake Michigan about 500 feet offshore of Illinois Beach State Park. Built of more than 10,000 tons of stones that were placed by a crane, the ridges are intended to work in concert to lessen storm wave impact and protect the eroding beach and unique ecosystem in the dunes.

The ridges are submerged in the water to preserve the view from the shoreline. They also create fish habitat by offering small, protected pore spaces within the structures – in effect, protecting habitat with habitat

“This project represents an important step toward the future of Great Lakes coastal resiliency,” said Ania Bayers, natural resources manager of the IDNR Coastal Management Program. “It’s also a testament to the importance of interagency collaboration, a reliance on good science, and innovative design to preserve the most basic and important qualities of the places Illinoisans love.”

Each year, winter wreaks havoc on Lake Michigan communities as waves and ice pummel the coast. More recently, storms combined with record-high lake levels have been especially damaging to the shoreline.

“From 2012 to 2020, a period coinciding with record-low to near record-high lake levels, the north unit of the park alone lost an estimated 670,570 cubic yards of sediment,” said Robin Mattheus, coastal geologist of the Illinois State Geological Survey. “To help put that into number into perspective, that’s enough to fill about 50,000 dump trucks.”

Coastal Management Program staff began working three years ago with community stakeholders, scientists and a team of design researchers to better understand changes to the coastal landscape and develop a solution to the erosion problem.

The resulting rubble ridges will be carefully monitored by scientists during the next five years with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). Their study will help inform coastal protection across the Great Lakes and may lead to better in-water habitat and more affordable shoreline protection alternatives.

Construction of the rubble ridges is anticipated to cost an estimated $1.5 million.

Monitoring of the project is performed by staff from ISGS and the Illinois Natural History Survey, who look for changes in the landscape, lakebed, area hydrodynamics, and habitat usage through an array of instruments and techniques. One such technique uses eight monitoring “cages” that were designed and fabricated to be placed on the surrounding lakebed, collecting hydrodynamic data from waves as they pass through the project area.

Collaborators with IDNR’s Coastal Management Program on the project include Healthy Port Futures, Great Lakes Protection Fund, U.S. EPA, Illinois Natural History Survey, ISGS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA.

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters - October 9, 2025
  • Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations - October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” - October 8, 2025
NPV: 35
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Chicago, Environment, Features, News, Regional Midwest Tags:Chicago water front, climate change, Environment, erosion, IDNR, Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Lake Michigan, prairie, shoreline, shoreline erosion, State of Illinois, wetlands

Post navigation

Previous Post: Milwaukee County sells 90 lots for single family homes
Next Post: Paul Vallas demands Lightfoot explain email scandal, and use of government resources for political campaign

Related Posts

  • Sandoval wins major woman’s endorsement for County Board elections
  • Attorney Jeffery M. Leving, author of Fathers’ Rights, Divorce Wars and How to be a Good Divorced Dad. His books are now available at several Little Free Library locations, including this one at 3415 W. Arthington St. in Chicago.
    Leving team court victory achieves justice for struggling father and his little girl Jeffery Leving
  • Column by Ray Hanania on bullying of Sharon Brannigan
    Brannigan vows to stand up to bullies, work for Township Government
  • car crashed through the front window of CosmoProf at 9109 W. 151st Street in Orland Park on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 11:45 AM.
    Vehicle crashes into Orland Park cosmetic store front Cook County
  • Green Party Presidential Candidate 2024 Dr Jill Stein
    Stein/Ware Campaign Demands Equal Time After Harris SNL Appearance Comedy
  • Willow Springs to hire Lyons official News

More Related Articles

Copley Theater courtesy of Paramount. Four bold stage productions in modernized, 165-seat theater to bring excitement, intimacy and more audiences to downtown Aurora, right across the street from Paramount Theatre. Paramount Theater opens new Iive theater venue in Aurora Cook County
Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois House Passes more than $4 million in funding to support Newman community projects Chicago
Chicago Wolves face-off with Toronto Marlies Nov. 13, 2021 Chicago Wolves triumph over Iowa Wild to lead in AHL Central Division Chicago
Wrigleyville Wonderland, 2021 Lakeview East Chamber presents Chicagoland’s largest Holiday  Pop-Up District Chicago
Angie McMahon host of Wisecrackin' improv comedy. Wisecrackin’ hits Laugh Factory’s Chicago stage with special guest Greg Proops streaming in from LA Chicago
Cook County 13th SubCircuit Judge Sam Betar III Judge Betar win’s nomination to serve on 13th Judicial District Editors Pick

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays
    August 27, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language
    August 8, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters
    October 9, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations
    October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz”
    October 8, 2025
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs
    October 8, 2025
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago
    October 8, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme