Emergency Sand Replenishment Project Begins At Rosewood Beach

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Park district officials hope an emergency beach replenishment project that began this week will protect Rosewood Beach from rampant erosion. Sand delivery began Wednesday, and the beach and its lower parking lot has been closed to the public while contractors work to restore it, the Park District of Highland Park announced. Barring unfavorable weather, the project is expected to be completed in December.

Historically high water levels over the summer have jeopardized the infrastructure behind the interpretive center and the swimming coves, Jeff Smith, the park district's director of planning and projects, told commissioners at a board meeting earlier this month. As a result, the district hired the architectural firm SmithGroup to evaluate its options.

The shoreline in the Rosewood Beach nature cove has receded about 45 feet, while the swimming cove has lost about 55 feet worth of beach, according to Margaret Boshek, a coastal engineer with SmithGroup.

"You can see extreme flattening of the beach and also a sharp slope just at the water line," Boshek said, describing photos of the changes to the beach in recent years.

Speaking to commissioners in August, Boshek attributed most of the beach loss to waves taking the sand out past the beach's breakwater structures rather than high lake levels.

"The amount of erosion that would have occurred had the lake level been static is about 35 feet, but because the lake level also increased, there's that inundation of the shoreline," she said. "So when you walk out there it appears that there's 55 feet of loss."

In the past five years, Lake Michigan water levels have risen from near record lows to within an inch of the highest levels ever recorded this summer, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Beaches across the North Shore have been narrowing or disappearing, leaving it to local governments to decide how much to spend to try to preserve their shorelines.

At their Oct. 2 board meeting, park district commissioners unanimously agreed to waive competitive bidding on $310,000 worth of contracts for the project, which can be done in case of emergency. The district also received emergency approval for permits for the project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. District officials noted the emergency does not extend to the beach's recreation cove, since there are no structures at risk there.

Brian Romes, the park district's executive director, said the payment for the project will come from the district's capital budget and would affect long-term funding for its other infrastructure priorities.

Antioch-based Thelen Sand & Gravel was the most reasonably priced sand supplier and John Keno & Company was the only contractor who was available to was available to start the work on short notice and complete it by the district's timeline. The company has experience working at Rosewood Beach last winter and a positive relationship with the district, according to district officials.

The sand nourishment project plans to expand both coves by 40 feet. The nature cove will be replenished with bird's eye sand, a heavier grain more like gravel. The larger pebbles will be more stable when struck by waves, according to the district. A combination of bird's eye sand and torpedo sand, the finer sand currently at the beach, will be used at the swimming cove.

The $12 million renovation of the beach completed in 2015 exclusively used the finer grade of torpedo sand, which Boshek, the coastal engineer, told park district commissioners was a "bit on the thin side," according to Highland Park News. Boshek estimated that there was an 80 percent chance the replenishment project would offer permanent protection, barring new record high lake levels, Pioneer Press reported. She suggested leaving the new sand in place for a year before evaluating whether further structural changes are needed.

Boshek told the board the lake was currently in the third year of what is typically a five-year cycle of high lake levels.

"So we have another two years that this is going to going on. But then again, if I had a crystal ball I'd be Madame Boshek — and I'd win the lottery."

Romes said nearby residents have been notified of the impact of the project, which is expected to include about 30 trucks delivering sand to the beach for 20 to 25 working days.

During the project, the trucks of sand will exit head to and from the beach via Sheridan Road, Lincolnwood Road, Saint Johns Avenue and Lake Cook Road. Work will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends in accordance with city code, according to the district's announcement of the project.

"Everyone's been really understanding," Romes told commissioners Tuesday.

Related: Federal Grant Awarded To Protect Beaches In 4 North Shore Towns