High Water Leaves its Mark

Record-breaking water levels are wrecking havoc worldwide.

by: SOPHIA BOYCE editor-in-chief

In a world where science is being taken as opinion, and as something we can ignore, let me set the scene for you. It’s November 12th, Venice Italy. The council in Ferro Fini Palace is voting on the 2020 budget which includes amendments for fighting climate change. This is happening while Venice is experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years. The council voted to reject these budget amendments, and moments later, its chamber was flooded, according to CNN. Climate change is not something people can deny. Whether you’re in Venice, California, Illinois, or Traverse City, the effects of climate change are visible. Last summer across the midwest beaches were

“gets flooded out all the way to the running path — that’s 30 yards.” Heft explained that it’s these uncommon northeastern breezes that have claimed 15 feet of beach in length, and 2 feet in height. These breezes build up a lot of wind and waves which physically push sand and water onto the beach. Sand and water aren’t the only things being pushed ashore in the Evanston area, the wind is also digging up debris from below the sand including rebar, construction debris, chunks of wire, and wood pallets. In Traverse City record-breaking water levels aren’t just swallowing beaches, they are also eroding land, which can lead to the undermining of homes, roads,

crowded, not because they were necessarily busy, but because they are now underwater. Reoccuring rare northeastern breezes, mixed with rising water levels in the Great Lakes, have been swallowing beaches from Northern Michigan to Chicago and the Lake Erie area. The United States Army Corps of Engineers reports that the Great Lakes have risen over 15 inches, and could come up 24 more this year. In fact, the USACE predicts that both Lake Michigan and Erie will rise another 4 inches. The water levels have not been this high since 1986, and are 63 inches higher than the record low from 1964. While at a five week camp at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, I interviewed Martin Heft, an employee at their Sailing Center who said the Center,

and bridges. For example, every time it rains, Fishtown in Leland floods, even the dam can’t control the flow anymore. 9&10 News reported that The Fishtown Preservation society began plans for restoration four years ago when all they thought they had to do was maintenance. Now they have $2.5 million in damages and have to replace all the docks. The beach at Clinch is a fraction of what it used to be, and that’s just from one year of higher water levels. When there are bad storms the parking lot by the Bijou partially floods. The water is so high that even portions of Peninsula drive are submerged during storms. We have parking lots that are falling into the bay. City Planning Director Russ Soyring said, “we’re just trying to figure out what to do about the changing of the shoreline.” Soyring explained that initially they

planned on reengineering and placing new barriers for the parking lot at West End. But the Parks and Rec Commission suggested letting the lot become more of a park area and make the parking for Handi-cap only. The problem with that Soyring says it that everyone asks “where do people park?” To some, that may seem like a minuscule problem, but for a town in which tourism is essential to the economy, parking is a BIG deal. Tourists come to TC for the beaches and the water, but those beaches are disappearing, and parking seems equally endangered. While currently the biggest question being asked is “what about parking?” the real question we should be asking is, “how do we minimize the effects of the rising water?” Frank Dituri, Director of Public Services, explained to me that the asset management department has kept track of everything the city owns that has been affected by water damage. While the big locations being affected are West End Beach, and the boat launch/marina area, Art Krueger, from the Municipal utility department, explained that the biggest issue comes from the rising groundwater. Kruger explained that groundwater rises and sinks with the climate, and right now it’s much higher than normal. This means that there is a lot more water sitting on top of water pipes and sewer lines. The pipelines are under constant high pressure so this water has no effect. The sewer lines, however, are not used to the additional groundwater, and it infiltrates the pipes. This, unfortunately, means that more water is being treated, and therefore more electricity is being used, which ultimately means more money is being spent as well. The city planning department has been looking into

the consequences of the rising water levels for 6-8 months now. They even had underwater videography done in the marina and of the concrete wall to see if there was damage happening that was not visible. They found some undermining of the concrete wall from Park to Union street, not too dramatic, but “could cause problems if not dealt with,” said Kruger. Problems such as the destruction at West End Beach where the manhole that filters water back into the lake is completely covered by sand, so nothing can flow out. To make sure that the surrounding areas don’t flood, the Municipal department has to install a temporary portable pump every time it rains. When asked about the flooding on Peninsula Drive, Dituri said it’s outside of city limits, but short term treatment would be to protect the road from flooding out however they can. Whether that’s dumping rocks, boulders, anything to buffer the energy from the waves. Kruger and Dituri agreed that the long term treatment for the city is to stop allowing developments close to the water's edge. Which begs the question, why are people still building on the water's edge? Everyone wants to live on the water, but they don’t think about the consequences, or they do, but end up exacerbating the destruction. Everyone knows you are supposed to build above sea level. Just ask any resident of Venice, Italy. The city of Venice has existed for hundreds of years. Water is not a new issue for Venice. They have been trying to minimize the effects for years, from building art installments that hold up buildings which are eroding from rising water to a levee system that isn’t high enough. The old adage “You can't fool Mother Nature” comes to mind. Neither can you ignore it, but perhaps we can learn from it. //