An Open Letter from Chicago Harbors
Published: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
By: Scott Stevenson, GM of Chicago Harbors and Executive VP of Westrec Marinas
As the summer of 2021 approaches, we are encouraged with the prospects for this new boating season.
First, we expect to open May 1, 2021, which is great news compared to 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions kept the harbors from opening until late June. Then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now forecasting the Lake will be more than 8” lower this year than in 2020. This is a welcome relief from record high water levels in 2020. Finally, the harbors are on track to unveil $5 million in capital improvements for the opening of the boating season including a new, fixed breakwater at the entrance to Jackson Outer Harbor and 140 new slips in Burnham Harbor. Good riddance to 2020 and bring on 2021!
Chicago Harbors COVID-19 Task Force
In mid-March of 2020, it became apparent that the pandemic would have a significant impact on the Chicago Harbors and the 2020 boating season. In response, we put together a task force made up of representatives from both local and national boating groups in an attempt to mitigate the impacts on Chicago boating. The task force made recommendations that were ultimately adopted by the State of Illinois, City of Chicago; and to the Chicago Park District concerning passenger limits on boats, social distancing requirements, and sanitation procedures. Ultimately, we were grateful that the vast majority of boaters adhered to the city/state requirements, enjoyed the wonderful lakefront, and had a beautiful 2020 boating season.
For 2021, we are reconvening the task force to make recommendations for this season. Armed with more information about the virus and the additional hope of recent vaccine advances, we expect to open on time and with fewer restrictions than in 2020. We expect to be able to announce the task force recommendations in April.
Lake Michigan Water Levels
Record high water levels have affected many marinas in the Great Lakes region over the past two boating seasons. In Chicago, we also experienced record-breaking high water levels in 2020 that affected operations in all 10 of our harbors. In fact, three of these harbors require boaters to pass under bridges, which saw their clearances greatly diminished in 2020. Other harbors experienced flooding that caused modifications to ramps and gates to improve boater accessibility.
In February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ water level forecast for Lake Michigan showed expected water levels in June to be more than 8” lower than in 2020. Of course, these forecasts can change with abnormal precipitation events in the spring, but the trend is very encouraging.
A New Breakwater and New Floating Docks
We’re excited to announce two significant off-season construction projects are underway in Chicago! At the entrance to Jackson Outer Harbor, we are constructing a 200’ x 22’ fixed breakwater to protect the harbor from wave action and winter ice damage. This breakwater was years in planning and we’ll be happy to see it installed to benefit our customers. In Burnham Harbor, we are continuing our dock replacement program with the installation of 140 new floating slips. These slips feature GFI outlets, high-speed internet, and other amenities. These two projects represent a capital investment of more than $5 million by the Chicago Park District.
Here’s to a better 2021 season. It can’t come soon enough.
A version of this article appeared in the Spring Issue (Mar/Apr) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Company Expansions, COVID-19, Lake Michigan
