Posted on September 1, 2020
PORTAGE — A sand nourishment effort was to get underway Thursday at the badly eroded Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk area, according to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
The effort will involve placing sand dredged from elsewhere onto the Portage beach to repair the erosion, the park said.
While the effort is lauded by the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit park advocacy group, the association says the state of Indiana needs to step up to work toward a more long-term solution to the worsening shoreline erosion problem.
Indiana needs to come up with the matching funds needed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study to determine which entity will fund long-term restoration of the badly eroded shoreline, said NPCA Midwest Program Manager Colin Deverell.
The local shoreline is a popular tourist destination for the state, he said.
“The state of Indiana is the right entity to be involved,” Deverell said.
The beach in Portage will be closed during the nourishment program, which is expected to take at least three weeks, according to the National Park.
The public is invited to watch the process from the safety of the lakefront pavilion area, the park said. The rest of the site will remain open, including the breakwater, riverwalk and hiking trail, and the Dig the Dunes Trail Stop food operation.
“This project has been funded through the reallocation of operating funds at Indiana Dunes National Park,” the park said. “While the beach nourishment method normally must be repeated over time, this demonstration project will help prove the concept that sand nourishment is the most effective and environmentally appropriate solution to beach erosion and, unlike rock walls or shoreline armoring techniques, does not cause damage to neighboring stretches of beach.”
Source: nwitimes
