Michigan's Beaches Receive 'D' Grade In New Report

MICHIGAN — Michigan is not doing well in caring for its beaches, according to a recently released report.

The state was given a 'D' in the Surfrider Foundation's annual State of the Beach report, which issues letter grades to beaches across the U.S.

You can see how other states ranked in the report here.

Michigan's grade came from the report's belief that the state's beaches are in the shape they are in due to "fairly poor policies."

Michigan contains the longest freshwater coastline within the continental U.S., with 3,200 miles of coast, according to the report. The shorelines is bordered by three Great Lakes, but the state needs to improve its development of coastal policies, according to the report.

According to the report, the state has "bad" sediment management. Here's what the report said:

There are no regional sediment plans or policies regulating private sand replenishment landside of the water line. In addition, there is essentially no beach fill policy. Testing of sediment is only required if it is collected from areas known or suspected to be contaminated. Even though Michigan provides strong protection of sand dunes with the ‘Sand Dunes Protection and Management Program,’ the state should establish a sand replenishment policy that requires thorough analysis of impacts and encourages coastal regions to develop regional sediment management plans.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) accurately recognizes that hard shoreline structures exacerbate erosion and reduce water quality; however, seawalls can still be allowed with a general permit. Without clear requirements for monitoring or removal, the policies can enable seawalls to be routinely reinforced. Fortunately, the state encourages the use of natural stabilization treatments, although consideration of alternatives is not mandated.

The report also gave Michigan a "bad" rating for development.

Michigan has robust setback regulations based on the rate of erosion, plus an additional 15 foot buffer. Most areas have updated their erosion rates, although some are still using rates that were calculated 20 years ago. ‘High Risk Erosion Areas’ are well-defined and while additional permits are required, new developments can still be approved. The lack of clear regulations on the repair of developments may also lead to unnecessary damage or property loss of properties. Unfortunately, new developments in ‘protected’ dunes and wetlands have also recently been permitted.

A "good" rating was given to Michigan for its sea level rise, however.

In 2020, Michigan updated its adaptation and continues to be proactive in creating a Climate Action Plan, encouraging local jurisdictions to follow through on establishing climate goals and commitments. The state of Michigan has also created a thorough Community Resilience Handbook, which touches on coastal hazards and lake level changes. Broad adaptation methods are discussed, but the state still has not developed an approved coastal adaptation plan. While the state does a good job of assessing future risks and developing adaptation plans for ensuring habitat connectivity and the protection of natural environments, it needs to mitigate impacts from continued development.