Protecting Chicago’s lakefront from high water and erosion could cost billions

Protecting Chicago’s lakefront from rising water is going to be a very long—and very expensive—undertaking, city officials and experts warned at a town hall meeting this week hosted by aldermen Harry Osterman (48th Ward) and Maria Hadden (49th Ward). In the meantime, the city will rely on recently installed concrete barriers to manage what is expected to be an especially bad winter for flooding and erosion.

While much of Monday’s discussion focused on short-term flood mitigation and disaster preparedness as it relates to Osterman and Hadden’s North Side wards, the officials stressed that high water levels affect the entire lakefront. The issue will require large-scale solutions to protect Chicago’s beaches, paths, roadways, and other infrastructure.

“We have a chance to reimagine what we want Lake Shore Drive and our lakefront to look like,” Osterman said, according to Chicago Block Club. Hadden added, “We are not trying to dig in our feet or pass the buck when we tell you this is going to take a lot of time and work.”

Burning questions remain over the best course of action to take and from where exactly the money to fix things will come. City officials say they will try to seek funds from the state’s $45 billion capital spending bill to conduct short-term infrastructure repairs. Federal assistance will be needed to enact longer-term solutions like constructing eight additional miles of revetments, which would cost an estimated half a billion dollars.

As state and local officials search for funding, the Chicago Park District continues its ongoing assessment of Chicago’s shoreline. That effort began with drone photography this summer after Lake Michigan reached a 30-year record high and swallowed up a number of beaches.

The lake’s recent surge higher represents a significant swing from the early 2000s when water levels sat at a record low. “Lake levels are largely a function of rain and evaporation, said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, on Chicago Tonight this week. “The extreme volatility—this jump back and forth between low level and high—is a symptom of climate change for sure.”

Earlier this week, the high water level combined with gusty winds on the opposite shore of the lake pummeled Michigan beaches, piers, and lighthouses with 10-foot waves. Chicagoans may experience similar conditions when the storm season arrives this winter.