Posted on March 22, 2018
By David Bruce, Goerie.com
State Sen. Dan Laughlin loves Presque Isle State Park, but don’t get him started on the “rock piles.”
Laughlin, of Millcreek Township, R-49th Dist., knows the system of 55 breakwaters — many mistakenly refer to them as break walls — on the Lake Erie side of the peninsula has helped reduce beach sand erosion by about 75 percent since they were installed in 1992.
He also believes the breakwaters are eyesores.
“They took one of the most beautiful places in Pennsylvania and made it look like a Russian military port,” Laughlin said.
Laughlin has a plan to fix Presque Isle’s blemish. He wants the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which installed the breakwaters, to see if it’s feasible to submerge them into a break wall that would be unseen yet still protect the park’s beaches.
Money for the project could come from another Laughlin plan: Hire a local business to dredge areas around the breakwaters where sand accumulates and place that sand on the beaches. He estimates it would cost only a fraction of the $3 million spent on sand replenishment each year.
“I don’t know how much it would cost to create the submerged break wall,” Laughlin said. “But regardless of how much it is, we would have to first find the money to pay for it before we could start the project.”
Laughlin discussed the idea in early February with two representatives from the Buffalo District of the Corps. He asked them to conduct computer modeling of the submerged break wall to determine if it would be effective and how it would impact the environment.
He also asked the Corps to study his sand replenishment plan, which would involve Lakeshore Towing Services of Erie doing the dredging. The Corps is considering both proposals, said Andy Kornacki, a Corps public affairs officer.
The Corps is also considering a request from Laughlin and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to have Lakeshore Towing dredge sand from a tombolo later this year to see how well the process works.
“We are working to understand the impact it would have financially, environmentally, and on navigation before we would agree to do any computer modeling,” Kornacki said. “We are in communication with the state senator’s staff and we will continue to work with them.”
Laughlin has also discussed his ideas with Matt Greene, the park’s manager.
Greene said Laughlin’s timing is perfect. The DCNR, which operates the park, is working with the Corps to examine both sand replenishment and the breakwaters.
“What Senator Laughlin is proposing is timely and we are looking at ways to make sand replenishment a more sustainable project and reduce its cost over time,” Greene said.
A possible concern with Laughlin’s idea to submerge a break wall is where it would be placed. Laughlin proposes putting it about 8 feet under water, so boats could pass over it without damage.
But Laughlin doesn’t know how well a break wall submerged that far below the lake’s surface would prevent sand erosion. Also, the lake’s depth fluctuates, so a break wall that is 8 feet below the surface one year could be 6 feet, or 10 feet, below the next year.
“Changing lake levels have had a major effect on the peninsula, whether you are talking about erosion due to high levels or low levels that cause trouble just getting boats out of the marina,” Greene said. “If computer modeling is done, we would want to see the effect lake levels have, as well as the effects of wind and rain.”
Laughlin realizes his plans face an uphill battle but said they could make a significant difference at the park.
“Imagine not having to look at those rock piles and having beaches that are even like they used to be instead of looking like sand waves,” Laughlin said.
Source: Goerie.com
