City may throw some rocks at Mother Nature

The railing at the gateway to the Port Washington breakwater, which was damaged last January and replaced with a temporary railing that was sheered off this winter, should be replaced with one that can be removed during the winter, the city’s Board of Public Works recommended Tuesday.

In addition to the railing, which would cost $13,449, the city should also work with the Army Corps of Engineers to place armor stone along the lake side of the breakwater to reduce the energy of the waves that batter the structure, the board recommended.

While those measures will prevent fierce winter gales from destroying the railing, it would also likely mean that the breakwater will be closed during the winter, a fact that concerned some board members.

But Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven noted that while the city hasn’t closed the breakwater in winter, the high lake levels make the walkway so treacherous that this is a move that should be considered.

Ald. Mike Gasper, a member of the board, asked if the city could erect a gate that could effectively close off the breakwater, noting the barricades currently used “don’t stop anybody.”

Ald. John Sigwart, a member of the board, said he’s concerned about having a gate that needs to be locked and unlocked, noting that the barricades let people know they shouldn’t venture out on the breakwater.

Even if the city were to close the breakwater, Sigwart said, he believes there should be a railing year-round to protect people.

Brian Hinrichs, lead environmental scientist at Foth Infrastructure and Environment, the city’s breakwater consultant, told the board that the city will be able to leave the railing up year-round once lake levels decline but until then they will be battered by winter gales.

Most breakwaters on Lake Michigan don’t have railings, especially now that lake levels are near record highs, Hinrichs said, adding most breakwaters are also closed during the winter.

Only board member Phil Bruno voted against installing the removable railing, saying it’s not a proven solution.

The city, he said, has spent millions of dollars to improve the breakwater “and that couldn’t get it solved. Now we’re going to buy a railing that may not work?”

Ald. Pat Tearney, a member of the board, said this is the city’s best option.

“I don’t believe you can guarantee anything with the lake out there,” he said. “But I think this is better than nothing.”

Hinrichs said that when his company designed the gateway, his firm recommended a railing that would have withstood a 50 to 100-year storm but the city’s budget constraints led them to construct a railing that only was rated for a 30-year storm. 

At that time, he noted, lake levels were near record lows.

“In hindsight, I should have said no,” Hinrichs said.

The gale that took out the railing last year, he said, was a 40-year storm.

The biggest problem isn’t the water that hits the railing but the ice that comes with it, Hinrichs said, adding the only way to build a railing that will withstand that is to install a sheetwall.

To further minimize the potential for damage, Hinrichs said, he has talked to the Army Corps about adding armor stone to the lake side of the breakwater. The alternative is to build a structure off the breakwater, but that would be costly and time consuming due to the permit requirements.

The Corps has a barge of stone valued at $500,000 docked in Kewaunee that’s available for free, and Hinrichs said his firm will design where the stone should be placed at no cost.

The only downside, Hinrichs said, is that when the lake level drops “everyone’s going to ask what that stone’s doing out there.”

“It seems like free stone to protect the wall would be a good thing,” Board Chairman Jason Wittek said.

While some people may question why the city should pay for a new railing, Vanden Noven noted that Foth and Terra Engineering have paid to replace the gateway ramp — which Hinrichs said cost about $70,000.

Foth, he added, has also facilitated the city getting $4.4 million in grants for the breakwater while paying less than $1 million out-of-pocket in matching costs.