Sediment Budget on the Indiana Shore at Burns Harbor, Lake Michigan
Abstract
Net sediment transport in the littoral cell extending from Michigan City Harbor, IN, to Burns Waterway Harbor, IN, USA, is from east to west. For the four decades following construction of the Burns Waterway Harbor, net transport averaged about 190,000 yd3/year. Of this amount, accumulation in the fillet east of the Arcelor-Mittel bulkhead was 106,000 yd3/year, while dredging from the Bailly Generating Station cooling water intake was 83,000 yd3/year. The total transport calculated in this study is higher than most published previous estimates. The volume of sediment now bypassing the lakeward end of the bulkhead and entering the Federal harbor is estimated to be 84,000 yd3/year. This value will have to be confirmed from dredging statistics in the future. An average of 61,000 yd3/year of sand has been placed both on beaches at the National Park Service West Beach Unit west of Portage/Burns Waterway and offshore at Ogden Dunes. Full bypassing should to be about three times this amount to equal the longshore transport value of about 190,000 yd3/year.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1001647
Entities
People
- Andrew Morang
- Ashley E. Frey
- David F. Bucaro
- Sara Brodzinsky