Village along unfrozen Lake Erie reports 'erosion emergency'

CLEVELAND — An Ohio village along Lake Erie is experiencing what officials describe as an “erosion emergency” because the lake hasn’t frozen over.

With more waves pounding the shore, erosion has eaten away more than 40 feet of land from a park in Geneva-on-the-Lake in a two-week span, village administrator Jeremy Shaffer said.

The damage started earlier this month. Lake Erie broke its February high water record that it set in 1987, and it’s expected to continue setting records through May.

Less than half of a percent of Lake Erie had ice on Feb. 10. On average, about two-thirds of the lake has ice coverage on that date, Cleveland.com reported.

“Water is crashing into shore and hitting areas it never hit before, and a lot of the earlier erosion control is now under water,” Shaffer told the outlet.

The village is seeking a short-term emergency response, such as putting rocks along the shoreline. Shaffer said a complete erosion control solution could cost an estimated $1.3 million.