Erosion along shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago's northern suburbs has been an issue for decades, but new research indicates it could be accelerating.
Nearly 80 years of aerial and satellite imagery taken over Illinois' northern lakefront reveals some stretches of shoreline are retreating at unprecedented rates. Acres of sprawling dunes and wetlands are now underwater at Illinois Beach State Park. The northern stretch of the park's 6 1/2-mile long beach is perhaps the hardest hit piece of coastline in Illinois.
Illinois geologist Ethan Theuerkauf says the shoreline has retreated more than 600 feet from 1939 to 2014. Erosion accelerated dramatically from 2014 to 2016 with the loss of 184 feet of beach.
