By Dan Patrinos
Five Lake Michigan harbor structures in Wisconsin are scheduled for maintenance repairs, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fiscal 2021 civil work plan sent to Congress in January. Unused buildings at a sixth harbor will be demolished.
The work plan includes $62.6 million for the Corps’ Chicago District, which is responsible for the Lake Michigan watershed in Wisconsin, water resources development in the Chicago metro area, the upper Illinois River watershed, and the upper Wabash River watershed in Indiana — an area of about 31,500 square miles.
Of that amount $10 million is slated for these Wisconsin projects, said Col. Paul B. Culberson, commander and district engineer of the Chicago District:
• Port Washington Harbor ($3.95 million) • Kewaunee Harbor ($600,000)
• Kenosha Harbor ($3 million) • Milwaukee Harbor ($400,000)
• Sheboygan Harbor ($1.5 million • Sturgeon Bay ($350,000)
Here is the detail on each harbor:
Port Washington Harbor
The work plan includes funding to complete repairs to the Port Washington Harbor south breakwater, mainly to the portion that is not a rubble mound. Built in 1936, the breakwater is comprised of concrete caissons and extends 392 feet. This section is in poor condition. Extensive concrete deterioration is prevalent throughout this portion of the structure, the Corps reports.
The Port Washington Harbor is about 20 miles north of Milwaukee. The facility is used mainly for recreational activities, including fishing, boating, music events, and festivals. Its marina has 220 deep water slips.
Kenosha Harbor
Funding is allocated for repairs to the north detached breakwater at the Kenosha Harbor. This structure, built in 1900, consists of 16 timber plank cribs capped with concrete. It is 796 feet long. In 1989, a 25-foot portion of the structure was destroyed in a storm and replaced with a riprap armor stone.
The Corps says that this breakwater is in “fair condition as it functions as designed, however, there are many deficiencies that are considered moderate to severe.” Design work has been started with the goal of having a final design ready for construction bids this year.
Sheboygan Harbor
Michels Corporation, a large construction firm based on Brownsville, Wis., came close to completing the first phase of repairs on the Sheboygan Harbor’s south breakwater last year, but poor weather conditions in the fall forced the work to stop, the Corps reports.
This spring, Michels is expected to complete phase one, which entails grading of fill stone and pouring the concrete cap. The second phase includes demolition of about 350 feet of the western portion of the south breakwater, placing riprap on top of the demolished portion and adding a concrete walkway.
The facility is a commercial harbor that primarily serves recreational boat traffic. The harbor is protected by two concrete capped wooden crib breakwaters totaling over 6,300 feet in length. It is about 26 miles south of Manitowoc and about 55 miles north of Milwaukee. The harbor includes the breakwaters that form an outer basin; an entrance channel through the basin 450 feet wide and 25 feet deep at the entrance, decreasing to 21 feet deep; a channel in the Sheboygan River 21 to 15 feet deep, and a 20-foot deep turning area in the outer basin.
Kewaunee Harbor
The Corps reports that money is available for grounds maintenance of the Kewaunee Project Office facility. This includes demolition of two warehouse buildings. These buildings are no longer needed and have sustained water damage due to high lake levels.
The Corps describes the Kewaunee Harbor as a low-use, deep-draft commercial harbor at the mouth of the Kewaunee River. It is about 100 miles north of Milwaukee, and 27 miles south of Sturgeon Bay.
Milwaukee Harbor
The Milwaukee Harbor, which is called Port Milwaukee, received funding for engineering and design for repairs to the nearly 5 miles of breakwater and the entrance channel. The Corps states that a design team will evaluate which section has the greatest need for repairs and prepare a design for a construction contract.
The Corps describes the Milwaukee facility as a moderate-use, deep-draft commercial harbor about 85 miles north of Chicago. The project includes both lake-approach channels and river channels with depths varying from 27 to 30 feet. The harbor also includes over 21,000 feet of structures, including breakwaters, piers and revetments.
Sturgeon Bay Harbor
Like the Milwaukee Harbor, the Sturgeon port received funding for engineering and design for repairs. Defects are present in the northern portion of the attached breakwater, and in the north detached breakwater, for a total of 1,344 feet.
Defects in these sections include spalling, gaps in the armor stone, deterioration of the footblock, and cap settlement, the Corps reports. A design team will evaluate the deficiencies and prepare a design for a construction contract.
Sturgeon Bay Harbor is 52 miles northeast of Green Bay and 128 miles north of Milwaukee. The harbor is described as a low-use, deep-draft commercial harbor with 8.5 miles of maintained navigation channel. It has authorized depths of 22 to 23 feet and 20 feet within the turning basin. The project also includes 15,100 feet of navigation structures, including breakwaters and revetments.
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Also included in the Corps’ plan is work on the Chicago Harbor ($20.23 million), the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal ($14.28 million), Illinois’ Waukegan Harbor ($3.3 million), and the Illinois Waterway ($2.9 million).
Funding from the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study will provide program management of a Corps study on how to prevent aquatic nuisance species from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basis through connecting waterways. The Corps is conducting the study in consultation with other federal agencies, Native American tribes, state agencies, local governments and nongovernment organizations.
In addition, the Corps’ Rock Island District received funding for an initial design of a barrier system at Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Illinois, to prevent invasive Asian carp movement. The design will include an electric barrier, underwater sound, an air bubble curtain and a flushing lock in a newly engineered channel. The lock and dam was built between 1927 and 1933 in connection with the Illinois Waterway which connects Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River.
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Sources:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District
Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study
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Photo at top of page:
The picture shows the Sheboygan Harbor’s entrance on Lake Michigan. Photo credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District
Dan Patrinos is a retired journalist. He is a member of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and lives in Milwaukee.
