Municipalities

The shorelines of the Great Lakes are in a constant state of flux. As years of climate change compound on one another, this flux becomes ever more pronounced, radically (re)shaping the contours of the Door County Peninsula. Municipalities dotted around the limestone escarpment struggle to contend with such change, the localized agents of flooding -wind, waves, precipitation- causing warnings to emanate from nearby radio towers. This becomes increasingly common during periods of high water, though is notably absent for long stretches when waters are low.

During high water periods, municipalities work to protect local infrastructure. The township of Kewaunee installs breakwaters to defend their claim to fame, the World's Largest Grandfather Clock, from inundation as its internal mechanisms are too delicate to move. Besides, most large-scale moving trucks are preoccupied transporting waterfront property away from the expanding waterfront. Breakwaters, in all their tetrapodal/quadrapodal/polypodal forms proliferate as sentinels of dry land. This proliferation is mirrored by household weather radios, receivers of the radio tower’s warnings alerting residents of the incoming floods. With the protection of the tetrapods holding firm ~for now~ the World's Largest Grandfather Clock ticks down the minutes/hours/days/months/years until the water starts to recede.

Waters within Lake Michigan have receded once more, leaving communities like Washington Island with sea walls no longer tethered to the sea. It seemed like an important investment at the time, but it has now been years since the water has been that high and residents start to wonder about the continued worth of their existence. They are aware that waters are likely to return, but it feels distant and these walls are costly and time-consuming to maintain. The mast tips of a ship long since sunk in Death’s Door begin to poke above the shallows. To combat this extreme reduction, a team of engineers suggest building a series of flap gates at the mouth of the St. Clair River to obstruct flow out of the lake and raise water levels, though they have little in response when asked how these gates will work if water levels rise due to climate. These gates could be lowered again, though the process would take years to be fully realized.