Duckworth, Durbin Announce Chicagoland Lakefront Protection Project

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a Chicagoland Lakefront Protection project to help protect shorelines under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Beneficial Use of Dredged Material pilot program. Public beaches and shorelines in Evanston, Glencoe, Lake Bluff and North Chicago will receive sand dredged from Waukegan Harbor to better protect nearby homes and businesses. The new pilot program will also provide federal resources to plant trees, shrubs and grasses in all four communities that reduce shoreline and bluff erosion and enhance these habitats.

“We need to do everything we can to restore the Great Lakes and protect our beautiful shorelines, which benefit thousands of Illinoisans every year,” Duckworth said. “I was proud to work with Senator Durbin to help secure this project under the Corps of Engineers’ new beneficial reuse pilot program from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for these Chicagoland communities and I am glad it will help protect the beaches and shorelines of Illinois”

“Residents consistently rank Lake Michigan as one of our region’s most important assets, and we must continue protecting this beautiful resource,” Durbin said. “I’m pleased that the Army Corps of Engineers has advanced these critical dredging projects for the communities of Evanston, Glencoe, Lake Bluff, and North Chicago. I look forward to continuing to work with the Army Corps and others to restore and preserve Illinois beaches and shorelines.”

54,560 yards of shoreline will be protected through this program, which was established through the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) provision Duckworth and Durbin pushed for, including:

• Sunset Park and Beach in Lake Bluff
• Foss Park in North Chicago
• Glencoe Beach in Glencoe
• Dog Beach, Greenwood Street Beach and Lee Street Beach in Evanston

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