PORT WASHINGTON -- An expensive problem for everyone - that's the message from officials before a highly anticipated public meeting on the latest signs of erosion along Lake Michigan.
Officially, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission recognizes 77 miles of shoreline along the lake from the Illinois state line to Sheboygan County.
Last month, the Racine County Executive issued a Declaration of Emergency as eroding bluffs threatened several homes in Caledonia and Mt. Pleasant.
"We have a lot of the similar conditions and it's just kind of luck of the draw," Scott Ziegler, the Ozaukee County Emergency Manager, laments to TODAY'S TMJ4. "For whatever reason, that area is starting to erode away."
Ziegler says he will represent Ozaukee County at Tuesday's meeting in Mt. Pleasant, where federal and state representatives are expected to address residents about funding for erosion damage control and repairs.
A review of land records show Ozaukee County registers 616 waterfront properties, but not all of them are private; Ziegler says all taxpayers should be concerned about erosion because of how it threatens public parks, marinas and beaches.
"It affects tourism if there's no beach," Ziegler explains. "People won't come visit the shops and restaurants or some other amenities here in Port Washington or other cities along the coast."
