Erosion along Lake Michigan has picked up speed in recent years.
Sarah Szabo, a Water Regulation/Zoning Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said erosion occurs even when water levels are low.
But record-high water levels in 2020, the peak of a several-year stretch of elevated water levels on the Great Lakes, produces larger waves that can move silt, sand and gravel away from shore more quickly.
Stacy Hron, a Water Resources Management Specialist with the Wisconsin DNR, said the same type of erosion occurring on our state's Michigan coastline occurs along inland lakes and rivers as well.
"I don't think any one particular location is more impacted than others," Hron said.
Szabo said the rising and falling of water levels in lakes and rivers is cyclical and depends heavily on precipitation.
She said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works with NOAA to make predictions on weather roughly six months out. NOAA also consistently monitors the water levels of the Great Lakes.
But Szabo said, beyond that, it's difficult to know what to expect in regards to the water levels of Wisconsin's waterways and bodies of water.
She said climate change has changed precipitation patterns.
"All we know is the predictions say the highs will become more high, and the lows will be lower," Szabo said. "That's a pretty common effect when you talk about climate change."
Hron said people across the state, from private property owners to local governments, have used rocks or built structures to try and deflect erosion-causing waves from their respective shorelines.
She said those solutions can help - although they're not permanent.
People hoping to install erosion control structures do have to go through a permit process with the DNR.
Szabo said she's seen the price of such structures run from $100/ft. to $500/ft.
Szabo said there are no financial assistance programs, through the state or federal government, to help landowners with the cost.
Property owners concerned about losing shoreline can visit a resources page through seagrant.wisc.edu or else the DNR webpage on Great Lakes Shorelines.