2018 Lake Bluff Project

Emergency Bluff Stabilization in Lake Park

In 2018, Mount Pleasant continued its emergency bluff stabilization project along Lake Michigan in the Lake Park neighborhood. The purpose of the project was to provide protection and stabilization of the failing bluffs along Lake Michigan in the project area to protect local public infrastructure. The project consisted of placing heavy stones at the toe of the slope in the water to help absorb wave action along the lake. Stone is placed from the water to the top of the bluff at a stable angle to prevent further bluff failures and protect the bluff and adjacent lands from wave action from the lake.

Before the project began: 

The left image shows the state of the bluff before the stabilization project began. The right-hand image shows stakes set out to measure elevation and plan for stabilization.

June 2018:

The stabilization project is getting underway. (left) Dump trucks brought in stone and fill to stabilize the bluff face and create a road with armor stone. (center) Then, armor stone was built up along the road to protect the road and bluffs from waves. (right)

July 2018: 

The project advances along affected portions of the shore. (left) Armor stone is carefully positioned along the road to avoid any shifting in the future. (center) The southern-most part of the bluff is pictured completed. (right)