Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
DRIFTWOOD LITTERS the beach and the break-wall at Black River Harbor Monday afternoon. A storm that thundered through the area Wednesday left many beaches with considerable debris, which was pushed to shore by 14-foot waves on Lake Superior.
LITTLE GIRL'S POINT - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said it hopes the Oman's Creek boat landing at Little Girl's Point will be reopened to Lake Superior boaters by Wednesday.
Gale-force winds last Wednesday wiped out 20 feet of the parking lot and blocked the launch ramp with wood and cobblestone debris.
Dredging was scheduled to resume at the creek mouth on Monday, according to park manager Jef Gaertner.
He said DNR would work with Gogebic County employees to make the site north of Ironwood usable again.
The creek is frequently dredged during the summer months because its mouth washes shut from Lake Superior winds.
Gaertner said the DNR is continuing efforts to secure funding and approvals for erosion control measures to "slow the natural processes that are affecting this high erosion area."
A long-term plan is to construct a 120- to 160-foot long groin into the lake that would cut down on the erosion that frequently blocks the creek. A groin is a shore-perpendicular structure from land that extends into a lake.
Its function is to interrupt or slow movement of sediment along the shoreline. Groins are especially well suited to areas where the sediment in the near shore consists of sand, as the groin can create a beach.
The groin could also be used as a fishing pier.
