Years after high water crisis, lax policies leave Michigan coastline vulnerable

  • Half-buried sandbags line the front of a property in Lake Charter Township in Southwest Michigan. The water has dropped to below-average levels, but many residents are keeping their defenses in place for the inevitable rise. EMILIO PEREZ IBARGUEN
    Half-buried sandbags line the front of a property in Lake Charter Township in Southwest Michigan. The water has dropped to below-average levels, but many residents are keeping their defenses in place for the inevitable rise. EMILIO PEREZ IBARGUEN

    LANSING

    Kathy and Tom Brickley knew erosion would be an immutable part of owning a property on Lake Michigan when they moved into their dream cottage 15 years ago.

    For the first decade, the erosion caused by waves wearing away at beaches and dunes in annual cycles was manageable.