Thanks to a new round of funding from Fund for Lake Michigan, LNRP and partner organization Water 365 are continuing to work with coastal municipalities to prepare their communities to anticipate the adverse impacts of climate change and implement mitigation solutions. Rooted in both economic and ecological priorities, these projects are designed to protect municipal investments and reduce community risk from fluctuating Lake Michigan levels, high rain events, impaired water quality from increased stormwater runoff, and other adverse, climate-related incidents. The Coastal Resiliency Community Impact Project (CRCIP) includes five cities: Port Washington, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Algoma. This article will cover Port Washington, Sheboygan and Kewaunee- updates on Algoma and Manitowoc will be included in a future LNRP newsletter.

Projects in Port Washington and Ozaukee county are focused on the Valley Creek and its headwaters, Upper Lake Park’s bluff collapse, Sauk Creek Nature Preserve,and the restoration of Sucker Creek. Through these projects, the city and the county will address erosion issues, which affect both water quality and public safety. These projects also increase resilience in plant communities, removing dead ash trees and invasive plants allowing for a varied and healthy plant community. LNRP is working closely with Miller Engineers and Scientists as well as Stantec Consulting Services and UW-Whitewater to not only strengthen the city’s shorelines but also to increase public awareness and participation in these community issues.

In Sheboygan, LNRP and partners are continuing work on water quality oriented coastal resiliency projects. The Pigeon River 9 Key Element plan is in the final stages with the Wisconsin DNR review, and pending approval from the EPA. Approval of this 9KE plan will create a framework for water quality improvement goals in the City of Sheboygan and Sheboygan County. Ongoing green infrastructure projects to help with stormwater runoff and erosion are moving forward at North Point Bluff, and hopefully will expand to other areas of the city.

For Kewaunee, the CRCIP project priorities are based off of their Harbor Master Plan Amendment, completed by Cedar Corp with Edgewater Engineering. This amendment identifies 11 different project sites for improvement, with goals of increasing tourism and protecting environmental assets. Implementation of these projects would not only serve to benefit the overall economy of Kewaunee, but would also reduce climate-caused damage to the harbor, marina, and other city assets. Certain projects, such as raising the campground, would prevent excessive damage from flooding, which is likely to increase over the next decade. LNRP is currently working with Water 365, American Rivers, Water Now, and Kewaunee staff to find funding for these site restorations.

In addition to identifying and securing funding for these projects, LNRP is reorganizing the CRCIP webpage to make it more user friendly for municipalities. The site will soon list each coastal resiliency project, a short description, and a more detailed breakdown in PDF form. Additionally, each community will have a one page fact sheet that includes all projects and their associated community resilience goals. These one page documents are made in collaboration with municipal staff, ensuring that they are reflective of individual municipal climate adaptation priorities.