Plans To Combat Erosion Underway Along The Indiana Dunes

CHICAGO (CBS) --  It's a problem Chicago has been facing from north to south along Lake Michigan: pounding waves and high water levels eating away at the shoreline.

A town in northwest Indiana is fighting the same battle.

CBS 2's Marissa Parra reports on what's happening in Beverly Shores.

Roughly 300 feet of sand traps are getting placed along the shoreline at Indiana Dunes National Park, all in an effort to fight erosion along Lake Michigan.

Erosion has washed away some of the very dunes the newest national park was named after a ranger explained there used to be roughly 30 more feet of beach at Indiana Dunes National Park.

Signs warn the public to stay away because emergency conditions cast a shadow on the park.

Paul Labovitz, a superintendent with the National Park Service said the Indiana Dunes plays a role in bringing in half a billion dollars of economic activity, via tourism, each year for the state. It is the number one tourist destination in Indiana.

Those signs are supposed to temporary and they're in front of areas getting a makeover. Two rows of sand traps will line 300 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline to prevent the damage from getting worse.

It's a familiar effort.

Juneway Terrace, Howard and Rogers Park have all had to close off public access temporarily to make way for their own emergency response to erosion.

Further south, neighbors in Hyde Park are also asking for help along the shoreline, saying the erosion there is making it unsafe.

The National Park Servoce said Lake Michigan's water level is still well above the long term average and clearly those effects are being felt all along the coast line.