As sand deposits grow higher in the Federal Navigation Channel of Waukegan Harbor potentially imperiling shipping, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has developed a plan to use the sand recovered from dredging the port to combat erosion at area beaches.
A study released by the Army Corps Thursday contains a plan to dredge the harbor next summer and deposit the sand on beaches in North Chicago, Lake Bluff, Glencoe and Evanston, creating an efficient and environmentally sound way to restore natural sand to area beaches.
Alex Hoxsie, a planner with the Army Corps, said the $1.8 million federally funded project is part of a nationwide pilot program to see if sand dredged from navigable waterways can be used to restore sand eroded from beaches.
Hoxsie said the beaches in North Chicago, Lake Bluff, Glencoe and Evanston must purchase sand from out-of-state quarries which is transported by truck.
With the pilot program, Hoxie said 60,000 cubic yards of sand will be dredged from Waukegan Harbor onto a barge, transported and then sprayed onto the area beaches.
“It’s less cost-efficient to use quarried sand from out of state and bring it in on trucks,” Hoxsie said. “We hold a lot more sand on a boat than the trucks carry, and it’s less expensive. It’s more environmentally friendly because it is the same kind of sand.”
Lisa Sheppard, the executive director of the Glencoe Park District, said it has been years since sand was trucked to the beach there because it was not cost-efficient or the best sand to restore the beach.
“Lake Michigan sand adheres better, and stays better” Sheppard said. “It’s a natural way to keep sand in place. It will help us keep our swimming beach and boating beach open, which is important to our residents and everyone else who uses it.”
Shoaling, or the increased level of sand in the harbor, has grown in the last 10 years because of Lake Michigan currents, according to the report. The buildup is “excessive” in both the harbor itself and its approach channel.
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said the harbor is dredged every 10 to 15 years. Northwest breezes cause the sand to pile up on the floor of the lake in the harbor
In the past, Hoxsie said the barge would transport the dredged sand approximately a mile south of the Harbor and dump it into the lake, moving the sand from one part of the lake to another.
After the Federal Water Resource Development Act was passed in 2016, Hoxsie said it included provisions for a pilot program where 10 projects similar to the one benefiting the beaches in North Chicago, Lake Bluff, Glencoe and Evanston would be conducted.
As the study was beginning, Hoxsie said the Illinois Sand Management Working Group of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was formed in 2017 with the Waukegan Port District, North Chicago’s Foss Park District, the Lake Bluff Park District, the Glencoe Park District and city of Evanston to examine efficient uses of the sand.
“The study was going to identify 10 pilot projects to use this drainage model,” Hoxsie said. “There were 95 projects considered, and this group was one of the 10.”
After the sand is dredged from the harbor, Hoxsie said it is transported to the first beach and mixed with water so it is easy to pump onto the beach, where it will dry. Earth moving equipment will be used to make sure it is in the best place for beach use.
Kari Crowart, the executive director of the Foss Park District in North Chicago, said the beach there has not been a swimming facility for years because of its condition. The dredging project will change that.
“We’re very excited being part of this,” Cowart said. “It’s going to be great to make the beach swimmable again.”
Sheppard said the timing of the project could not be better because the Lake Michigan beaches in the Chicago area have shrunk in recent years due to higher water.
Jim Lakeman, the superintendent with the Lake Bluff Park District, said the project will bring more sand to the beach than is normally purchased and delivered by truck. It will also save the park district between $8,000 and $12,000 that year.
Cunningham said he hopes some of the sand from the project can be used for Waukegan’s beach, which is at the entrance to the harbor.
“We’d like to use it on our beach,” Cunningham said. “We’re trucking (sand) in right now.”
