Upton, Huizenga express concerns about erosion along Great Lakes shoreline

U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) recently reiterated their concern with federal officials about rising water levels and erosion along the Great Lakes shoreline.

“Erosion threatens our beaches, our homes and our state’s overall well-being,” the members said in a Jan. 13 joint statement issued with U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI). “As three members who represent our Great Lakes shoreline, it is an issue that is deeply personal and one that we take incredibly seriously.”

The lawmakers released their statement following a Jan. 10 meeting with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Detroit District.

“On Friday, we had a productive discussion with the Army Corps and representatives from FEMA about [this] issue,” said Reps. Upton, Huizenga and Bergman. “In our meeting, we asked for tactical assistance, meaning that our communities need the USACE and FEMA’s expertise right now on how to protect our shorelines and our properties.”

The congressmen said they “also asked them for solutions to mitigate damage and alleviate some of the burden on constituents.”

Rising water levels across the Great Lakes broke records last year, with Lake Michigan in July 2019 being one inch below its record high from 1986, and reaching 15 inches above its level from a year ago, according to the lawmakers’ statement.

“Moving forward, we will keep monitoring the status of our shoreline and the threat of erosion,” they said. “All parties agreed to remain committed to working on a coordinated response with every level of government to ensure our shoreline can withstand, recover from, and adapt to high lake levels and erosion.”