Wave Absorbers Locations

Portage Lake


Portage Lake's wave absorber was the most recently completed, in the summer of 2003. A 400-foot cell with a width of 20-30 feet was constructed in the north jetty. The slope of the rock is 2H:1V with 2.5-5 ton armor stone, 500-1500 lb underlayer stone and 1-50 lb bedding stone. The wave absorber is open to wave interaction on both sides with a concrete walk on the top supported by H-Piles. The predominant wave direction, in deep water, is out of the south-southwest. The project depth is 18 feet.

Recent Aerial Photo

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

Pentwater


Pentwater Harbor's wave absorbers were completed in May of 2001. Pentwater's absorbers are on both the north and south jetties placed directly across from one another. Both are approximately 200 feet long and 30-40 feet wide with 2.5-5 ton armor stone, 1000-1500 lb underlayer stone and 1 to 50 lb bedding stone. All stone is placed at a 2H:1V slope. They are open to wave interaction on both the lake and channel sides, with a concrete walkway in the middle supported by H-piles. The predominant wave direction, in deep water, for Pentwater is out of the south-southwest. A detailed study including physical and numerical modeling is currently underway for this harbor. The response from the local residents has been positive concerning the effectiveness of the wave absorber cells. The project depth is 16 feet.

Recent Aerial Photo

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

Saugatuck


Saugatuck Harbor has two wave absorbers, with one in the north jetty and one in the south that were completed in December of 1999. They are slightly offset, with the northern absorber positioned more lakeward than the south. The wave absorbers are made up of 2.5-5 ton armor stone, 500-1000 lb underlayer stone and 1-50 lb bedding stone. The stone is placed at a 2H:1V slope. They are open to wave interaction on both the lake and channel sides, with a concrete walkway in the middle supported by H-piles. A wave rose was created using wave data from the years 1956-1997. From viewing the wave rose in Appendix B, it is evident that there is not one strong predominant direction. However, the highest percentage of waves, in deep water, come out of the southwest. The project depth is 16 feet.

Recent Aerial Photo

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

White Lake


White Lake's wave absorbers were completed by the end of the summer in 1998. White Lake Harbor has a wave absorber on both the north and south jetties that are each approximately 200 feet long and 30-40 feet wide. These absorbers are offset slightly. The southern absorber is more lakeward than the northern. The cells are located just before the revetment transitions into the jetty so the sloped armor stone is only on the channel side with a limited amount of large splash stone on the landside. The wave absorbers are made up of 5.5-11 ton armor stone, 200-300 mm (approx. 35-125 lbs) intermediate stone and 75-150 mm (approx. 2-15 lbs) bedding stone sloped at a 2H:1V slope. A concrete walkway was placed adjacent to the cell. The predominant wave direction, in deep water, is out of the south-southwest. Users of the harbor report favorably on the effectiveness. The project depth is 16 feet.

Recent Aerial Photo

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

Charlevoix


Charlevoix Harbor was the first to have wave absorbers installed. The north jetty was rehabilitated in 1981, which included armor stone on the interior or the harbor. The cell is approximately 400 feet long and 30-40 feet wide. The north absorber was constructed experimentally to see if it could aid in wave attenuation. When it was found that the armor stone proved to be very beneficial in reducing wave height within the harbor, the south absorber was constructed in 1989. The two are offset significantly with the south absorber starting over 100 feet further lakeward than the north. The south cell is approximately 200 feet long and 50-60 feet wide. The southern wave absorber's stone is on a 2H:1V slope and is made up of 3.5-6 ton armor stone, 700-1300 lb core stone and 1-50 lb mattress stone. Cross-sections could not be found for the north jetty. Records only indicate that the armor stone placed was over 1200 lbs with smaller varieties used for the underlayer and mattress stone. The predominant wave direction, in deep water, is out of the southwest. The project depth is 18 feet.

Recent Aerial Photo

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

Ontonagon


Ontonagon Harbor has the only parallel jetties with wave absorbers on Lake Superior. The construction of the east cell was completed in the fall of 1998 and the west in fall of 2002. The wave absorbers are approximately 200 feet long and 50-75 feet wide each. The two absorbers are offset over 1300 feet, with the west absorber being nearly at the lakeward tip of the western jetty. The two were constructed slightly differently. Both absorbers are made of 4-6 ton armor stone, 750-1500 lb underlayer stone and 3-8 inch (approx. 2-40 lbs) mattress stone. However, the western absorber has a slope of 2H:1V and the eastern's is 1.75H:1V. The eastern cell transitions from the jetty portion of the harbor to the revetment, therefore only the lakeward section has armor stone on the lakeside. Armor stone lines the entire cell on the channel side. The western cell lies completely within the lakeward jetty. Therefore, both the lakeside and channel side slopes are covered with armor stone. The predominant waves, in deep water, come out of the west-northwest. The project depth varies from 22-23 feet in the navigation channel.

Recent Aerial Photo

Not available

Wave Absorber Cross Section

None available

Wave Rose

 

Two Rivers

Under construction