Federal Grant Awarded To Protect Beaches In 4 North Shore Towns

CHICAGO — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded four North Shore communities a grant to protect public beaches from erosion. Park districts in Glencoe, Lake Bluff, North Chicago and the city of Evanston proposed a pilot program under a section of the federal Water Resources Development Act that requires the Corps to recommend 10 projects for a beneficial use of dredged materials.

Materials dredged from Waukegan harbor will be distributed to six North Shore sites to protect public beaches. More than 31 miles of shoreline will be protected under the program, according to the Army Corps.

“Erosion is a real concern," said Lake Bluff Park District Executive Director Ron Salski. "This assistance is a positive step forward to restoring public beaches and promoting erosion control."

The Corps will provide about $1 million in work and expertise for the pilot project, while the four communities will each chip in about $25,000, according to the Glencoe Park District.

Every year, Evanston, Glencoe, Lake Bluff and North Chicago collectively spend an average of $75,000 to truck in sand from quarries to maintain and grade the shoreline, the joint proposal said.

The plan "seeks to leverage our local resources to be more cost-effective overall for our tax payers," and calculated the joint local government effort will be able to multiply the impact of each individual community's resources by 46. An average of 71,000 cubic yards are dredged annually from the Waukegan harbor approach

"This work can serve as a blueprint for other communities seeking to beneficially use dredged material for public benefit," according to the proposal.

Material dredged from Waukegan Harbor will be placed at Sunset Park and beach in Lake Bluff, Foss Park in North Chicago, Glencoe Beach in Glencoe and Greenwood Street Beach, Lee Street Beach and Dog Beach in Evanston, according tot he Corps. Trees, shrubs and grasses will be planted on the dredged materials to help reduce erosion of shoreline and bluffs and to enhance the habitat and ecosystem, it said.

The Army Corps said 95 dredging proposals were received last year, and the North Shore project was the only winner in the Great Lakes region. It was developed through discussions and relationships developed through the Illinois Sand Management Working Group. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management program leads the initiative, a collaboration involving federal, state and local officials and organizations focused on shoreline management and founded in 2015.

“Intergovernmental agreements and collaboration are essential strategies to achieve goals and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Management Program are incredible partners and supporters," said Salski, in a release. "These agencies should be recognized and commended for their hard work and teamwork."

Placement of dredged material could begin as early as the spring of 2020, according to the proposal.