LEXINGTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — 7 Action News went to Lexington to revisit the Lake Huron coastline which saw record high water levels in 2020.
How are they doing three years later with ice levels falling? Let’s see...
Within an hour of arriving in Lexington 7 Action News stopped by a community staple off Lake Huron — The Wind Jammer Bar and Grill.
7 Action News asked the owner, Richard Laframboise what people dining in are saying about local erosion.
"It is a general concern for everybody, I don’t think that anybody can say that there hasn’t been erosion going on," said Laframboise.
On the marina, Richard said he worries about erosion making it impossible for boats to dock.
Back in 2020 when lake levels were at record highs that didn’t happen but he did need to make adjustments at his home.
"Along our own shore line here we installed these stone jetties," Laframboise said.
Building rock jetties and seawalls are some of the top strategies for fighting erosion.
Richard says since building his, a lot of the beach has come back, and he hasn’t seen too much erosion this season.
But that’s the thing, just because you don’t see something, doesn’t mean it’s not happening..
Dr. Jim Selegean is an erosion expert with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"They’re still eroding things it’s just happening under water and we don’t see it," said Dr. Selegean.
7 Action News Dr. Selegean about February's ice hitting record lows.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in the second month of 2023, there was only 7% of ice cover on the Great Lakes — normally they’re 35-40% frozen.
In fact, ice cover has been largely below average all winter.
"Without that armor along the shoreline big waves are able to get into the shore and hit the bluffs that all of our infrastructure is built on," said Dr. Selegean.
Climate change is a major factor in the ice decline.
Climate experts say as temperatures continues to climb, the ice will continue to decline, and our shores will continue to erode
"With less and less ice each year we were expecting having to dredge more in the Great Lakes. Marinas are gonna fill in with sediment a lot quicker. Those are some of the things that you don’t see happening because it’s all happening under water and it’s kind of incremental," Dr. Selegean revealed.
Reports from NOAA show Great Lakes water levels have cycled high and low for more than 150 years, but climate experts say that climate change will make those fluctuations happen more often.
It’s projected that ice will continue to decline for potentially two more decades before it rises again.
The best thing Lexington and other shoreline communities can do now is prepare.
Whether that’s through rock jetties, building farther from the shoreline, or developing policies to combat climate change and ultimately protect our Great Lakes.
"It’s what makes the state of Michigan... the state of Michigan," Dr. Selegean said.
