Strengthening the Lake Michigan shoreline

37,000 tons of stone are being placed on the Milwaukee Harbor south breakwater over a five month period by the Lake Michigan Floating Plant assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District.

The floating plant conducts stone placement at Calumet Harbor, Chicago Harbor, Milwaukee Harbor, and places in between.

Kevin Kwasny, Chief of the Harbors Maintenance Section of the Lake Michigan Project Office said, “Every year we come here and place stone to shore up the integrity of the concrete structure that are currently here.”

Contractors transported stone from local quarries to the harbor. Then stones are loaded, one by one, onto the vessel. Each stone weighing between three to seven tons.

The overall project will place 470,000 tons of stone over the next 15 years.