Integrated Assessment on Water Level Variability and Coastal Bluff Erosion

IntegratedAssessmentonWaterLevelVariabilityandCoastalBluffErosionin

NorthernMilwaukeeCountyandSouthernOzaukeeCounty,Wisconsin

UniversityofWisconsinSeaGrantInsHtuteUniversityofWisconsin-Milwaukee,SFS

UniversityofWisconsin-MadisonDept.ofCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering,

Dept.ofUrbanandRegionalPlanning,Dept.ofGeoscience

ProjectLocaHon

Source:Popeetal.1999 Source:ASFPM,Mickelson

CityofPortWashington>>>

TownofGraCon>>>

CityofMequon>>>

VillageofBayside>>>

VillageofShorewood>>>

VillageofWhitefishBay>>>

VillageofFoxPoint>>>

Milw

aukeeCo

unty

OzaukeeCou

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ThebluffsinnorthernMilwaukeeCountyaregenerallymorestablethanthebluffsinsouthernOzaukeeCounty

SouthoftheCityofPortWashington,OzaukeeCountyPhototaken4/6/201218:50:09April2012-577.53C.IGLD85Source:GreatLakesObliqueImagery

SchlitzAudubonNatureCenter,VillageofBayside,MilwaukeeCountyPhototaken4/7/201214:56:24April2012-577.53C.IGLD85Source:GreatLakesObliqueImagery

StatusandTrends•  From1976to2007/08,armoringoftheLakeMichiganshorehas

increasedfrom9.6%to27.3%inOzaukeeCountyandfrom44.6%to62.7%inMilwaukeeCounty.

•  From1976to2012,therehasbeenageneraltrendtowardsmorestablecoastalbluffsinthestudyarea.

Theimpactofshorestructuresonneighboringproperty

TownofGraCon,OzaukeeCountyPhototaken4/6/201218:53:29April2012-577.53C.IGLD85Source:GreatLakesObliqueImagery

StatusandTrends•  Inrecentyears,therehavebeenlegislaHvechangesin

Wisconsinthatfavoranincreaseinprivatepropertyrights.•  TherapidriseinLakeMichiganwaterlevelssinceMarch2014

iscausingconcernamongpropertyownersandlocalofficials.

ProjectFocusTheprimaryimpactareacoveredbytheintegratedassessmentrelatestotheinfluenceofchangingLakeMichiganwaterlevelsontheintegrityofcoastalbluffs.•  placementanddesignofshoreprotecHonstructures

•  bestpracHcesforbluffvegetaHon•  regulaHonofcoastaldevelopment

•  protecHonofnearshoreandshorelandhabitats

InterdisciplinaryDriversEnvironmentalDrivers

•  ChangesinshoreprotecHon&theassociatedrelaHonshiptocoastalprocesses

•  PotenHalclimateimpactsonwaterlevels,waves,temperatureandprecipitaHon

SocialDrivers•  InteracHonbetweenproperty

ownersrelatedtoshoremanagementchoices

•  RecepHvitytoeducaHon,outreachandresilienceplanningefforts

Poli5calDrivers•  IncreasedpoliHcalsupportfor

privatepropertyrights•  Changestoplanning&zoning

legislaHonatstatelevel•  Localandregionalplans

EconomicDrivers•  Damagetocoastalproperty

andinfrastructure•  Costsandbenefitsofshore

protecHon•  Changesinpropertyvalues

ProjectTeam•  Ateamof9inves5gatorsrepresenHngdisciplinesincluding

coastalengineering,geology,urbanandregionalplanning,law,policystudies,ecology,landscapearchitecture,andsocialscience.(Hart,Janssen,Kehl,LaGro,Mednick,Mickelson,Ohm,Peroff,Wu)

•  AddiHonalsupportfromstaffandstudentswithWisconsinSeaGrantandtheSchoolforFreshwaterSciencesatUW-Milwaukee.(Clark,Noordyk,Kranner)

•  ProjectpartnersincludeorganizaHonswithbroaderperspecHvesoncoastalblufferosion,includingregionalandstateagencies,professionalassociaHons,andnon-profits.(SEWPRC,WisconsinCoastalManagementProgram,WisconsinDept.ofNaturalResources,WisconsinEmergencyManagement,Associa5onofStateFloodplainManagers)

WIPlanningGrantAcHviHes•  Interviewsofprojectstakeholders,partners,andinvesHgatorstoexploretheimpactsofvariablewaterlevelsoncoastalbluffs(May-July2015).–  [19interviewswithafocusonissues,soluHons,barriers,andinfoneeds–intervieweesexpressedinterestineducaHonandoutreachtools]

•  InvesHgatorspreparedsummaryofexisHngrelevantresearch,dataanddecisiontools(May-July2015).–  [developedon-lineannotatedbibliography&report]

•  WorkshoptoprovideinformaHonaboutGreatLakesWaterLevelsIntegratedAssessmentanddecidewhetherWisconsinshouldconHnueparHcipaHon(July27,2015)–  [30aiended–strongsupportexpressedforconHnuingwiththeproject]

Phase1ofIntegratedAssessment•  SynthesisworkshoponMarch31,2016prioriHzedthemostrelevantreports,studiesanddatafortheIA.–  Categories:ReportsaddressingcoastalhazardsinWisconsin;Technicalstudies(bluffstability,recessionrates,lakebederosion);Regulatoryapproaches;InteracHvemapping/visualizaHons;GeospaHaldata;IntegraHonresources

•  ThePhase1reportincludesshortsynthesesoftheunderstandingof:–  changestobeachandblufftoesduetohigherwaterlevels–  impactsofshoreprotecHonstructures–  changestotheblufffaceandblufftop,lakebeddownculng

PreliminaryOpHonsWhatarepotenHalregulatoryandnon-regulatoryopHonsforrespondingtocoastalbluffs&lakelevelvariability?

ShoreandNearshore•  Guidancefordesign

ofshoreprotecHon•  PotenHalforpocket

beaches•  Analysisoflakebed

erosion/changesinnearshore

BluffFace•  BestpracHcesfor

bluffvegetaHonmanagement

•  IdenHficaHonofblufffeederzones

TopofBluff•  Amodelordinance

forsetbacksfromanerosionreferencefeature(vs.OHWM)

•  Surfacerunoffmgmt•  SepHcplacement

IntegratedApproaches•  Integratedbluffmanagement/Regionalsedimentmanagement•  OutreachonthespectrumofopHonsforbluffmanagement

CommunityEngagementLedbyBertandLindaSHi(SHiFacilitaHons)andDeidrePeroff(WISGSocialScienceOutreachSpecialist)Part1–SeSngthecontextforcommunityengagement•  Tourofthestudyarea(complete)•  Individualandsmallgroupdiscussions(underway)Part2–Communityconversa5ons•  Round1–Introducetheproject;Listentohopes,wishes,

concernsandissuesforahealthyandvitalfutureforcoastalbluffs;GeneratepossiblesoluHons(June/July)

•  Round2–PrioriHzaHonofpolicyalternaHves/adapHveacHons(August/September)

•  Round3–Endorsementofprojectreport(Nov./Dec.)SharingthefinalresultsoftheIAandconHnuedengagement

DesiredProjectOutcomes•  Near-term:DevelopmentofacomprehensivesetofpolicyalternaHvesandadapHveacHonstoincreaseresilienceofcoastalbluffstothepossibilityofincreasedvariabilityofLakeMichiganwaterlevelsandincreasedintensityofstorms.

•  Mid-term:AdopHonofaselectsetofaforemenHonedpolicyalternaHvesbylocalgovernmentsinthestudyareaandadopHonofaselectsetofadapHveacHonsbycoastalpropertyownersandassociatedstakeholders.

•  Long-term:Ameasurableincreaseintheresilienceofbluffstocoastalerosion.