Shoreline Repair For B.B. Clarke Beach Could Start In Early 2011
For anyone that walks with regularity at B.B. Clarke Beach it is most obvious that shoreline erosion is a huge problem. Residents in the neighborhood have watched over the years as tree after tree has blown over in high winds due to roots being exposed from soil erosion. The shoreline has been eaten away by winter storms and summer winds. It is a wreck.
This past summer I was in the park to watch a summer storm roll over the isthmus and saw a tree come down in front of my eyes. In slow motion it just toppled over. It was surreal. It is very clear that shoreline erosion at B.B. Clarke Beach has went on for far too long.
Downed Tree This Summer Due To Shoreline Erosion
On Tuesday evening City of Madison Engineering held a meeting with concerned citizens and neighbors at the Wil-Mar Center. Preliminary plans and a timetable for a repair project were laid out.
The riprap method of curtailing shoreline erosion is the one advocated by city engineering, and will very likely be supported by the Department of Natural Resources.
Large amounts of rock are lined along the shoreline to serve as a buffer. As the waves wash towards land the rocks in large measure absorb and deflect the pressure of the water, and its harmful impact.
A strip of no-mow growth will run along the riprap area onshore to allow for runoff water to be filtered. In addition a ten-foot section of limestone steps would be installed to allow for people to put kayaks and other light crafts into Lake Monona.
New plantings such as Swamp White Oak and Kentucky Coffee trees would be added to portions of the park.
Needless to say after the strongly worded posts about this matter in the past I am in total agreement with the proposal from city engineering.
Bare Roots Caused By Shoreline Erosion
The city is hoping to move on the project soon, and barring any glitches the project could be completed by May 2011. There was support for the idea tonight at the meeting, with the exception of asking the DNR for permission to fill into the lake to expand the shoreline back to a more original state. While that would be a grand idea which I would support, that idea is never going to happen. I trust that there will not be much time spent exploring the impossibility. Time is a- ticking, and the problem needs to be fixed.
The DNR permitting process will take about 3 months, some committee votes need to be held, and the bidding process completed. Following that come March work could start on the project that would take about 6 weeks to complete.
