Ft. Sheridan/Lake Michagin/Landfills

[themissinglink@eznetinc.com]

Yes, the Army is well underway in their plans to cap landfill 7 in
place. The documents are signed and the landfill is now being
dewatered. I do not see the Army changing their course of action even
though no erosional controls have stopped the North Shore shoreline form
eroding to date. They have an "expert" coming in to speak to the
Restoration Advisory Board tomorrow, Wednesday to unveil his latest
theory. I do not mean to demean Dr. Shabica when I parenthesize
expert. What we assumed would work in the past was putting groins out
into the lake to trap the sand from moving down shore. This only led to
the depletion of the near shore zone. This is the first twenty or so
feet of lakebed and it is steepening in pitch in large part because the
groins rob the moving sand flow system which makes up the narrow beaches
along the shore. This steepening of the nearshore zone is speeding up
North Shore erosion.

Well our resident expert did not foresee this but how can we blame him
when this phenomenon is unique to our completely developed North Shore
shoreline? No, he does what any expert does and goes with the best he
knows in the present. Now his new plan for breakwaters is being touted
as the newest and best solution. The problem lies in the complete faith
in our experts. What problems will come up from this new solution?
When the bluff erodes into the toxic waste, Dr. Shabica will study what
went wrong and will come up with yet a new plan. Well I just heard on
the radio this morning that Lake Michigan is one of the most polluted
water sources in the state and regulators are meeting to address how to
keep the pollution below federal standards.

Discontinuing capping landfills in place on the shoreline would be a
great start. I will not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting due to an
illness in the family. I am hoping someone can go and give me a report
on the presentation. It is at the Fort Sheridan building 900 at 7:30pm
tomorrow, Wednesday. Please let me know and I will give you directions.

Steven Pollack

steve@familyjeweler.com
http://www.familyjeweler.com/fortweb.htm