MILWAUKEE — Crews are working to fix riptide issues that made conditions especially dangerous for swimmers at Milwaukee's McKinley Beach.
According to the Milwaukee County Parks website, McKinley Beach was built in 1989, designed for both recreation and to act as a buffer between us and the lake.
In August 2020, county officials closed McKinley Beach due to those riptides, several near-drownings, and several deadly drownings. Since then the once popular beach has been closed and blocked off from public use.
But now crews are finally making some moves to get the beach up and running again, with new safety measures in place.
According to the county's website: "The County Board funded an effort to both study the conditions present at the beach as well as identify potential solutions that can increase swim safety while addressing beach sustainability and water quality. Initial findings have shown that water depth has increased at the jetty line by approximately 4’ since the creation of the beach. This increased depth as well as multiple wave current factors have created dangerous conditions that cannot be visually observed by swimmers. The planned solution restores McKinley Beach to its original intended design by re-nourishing the beach with sand, grading, and grooming. The planned solution will also effectively lower the water depth between the breakwaters to help reduce currents and create a shallower beach environment."
The website continues, "Construction activities have started at the beach this summer including the import of the sand needed for beach re-nourishment. To initiate work in the waters of Lake Michigan, certain permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Army Corps of Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency are required and are currently in progress. Construction activities in the lake and at the beach are planned to continue later this year. Milwaukee County is committed to reinvestment and safe re-opening of the beach."
The project is expected to cost $1.09 million, including about $77,000 for the study, $99,000 for design work and $917,500 for construction, according to OnMilwaukee.
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