North of the city of Chicago the shore is generally privately ownedo 

 The principal exceptions are the Illinois Beach State Park north of Waukegan 

 and the Federally owned reservations at the Great Lakes Naval Training 

 Center and at Fort Sheridan. In Chicago the major portion of the frontage 

 south to 79th Street is publicly owned and used for park purposes » Thence 

 south to the Indiana State line the shore is privately owned and developed 

 for heav3'- industrial use^ 



A survey of pollution of lake waters in 19U7 revealed serious pollution 

 along the Lake County shore and intermittent pollution along the Cook 

 County shore. Beaches in Lake County were closed to bathingo Remedial 

 action resulted in considerable improvement of the condition in 19U8o It 

 is expected that continued efforts will result in a steady improvement in 

 the quality of the water o 



The terrain adjacent tolhe shore suggested division of the study area 

 into four major subdivisions as follows? 



ao Northern Lake Plain Section. This section comprises the 10 

 miles of shore from the Wisconsin State line to Waukegan Harbor. The shore 

 is backed by a relatively low plain with old beach ridges and dunes, which 

 erode readily and furnish a relatively abundant supply of beach material. 

 Prevailing natural forces tend to produce southward movement of material. 

 The predominant littoral drift is therefore toward the south and is large 

 in volume compared to that along the remainder of the Illinois shore o The 

 beaches in this area are excellent. Although the shore line is receding, 

 except close to the Waukegan Harbor breakwater^ the recession is of little 

 importance, as the shore is largely undeveloped. Few protective structures 

 have been erected in this section. 



b. Lake Border Moraine Section . This section of shore extends 

 from the south side of Waukegan Harbor to the jetty at Wilmette Harbor j a 

 distance of about 21 miles. The shore is generally backed by steep bluffs 

 of glacial moraine up to 90 feet high at North Chicago^ thence decreasing in 

 height southward. The shore line and bluffs are eroding except where the 

 jetty at Wilmette Harbor has created an impounding area. The volume of the 

 predominant southward littoral drift is considerable, but not as great as 

 that in the Northern Lake Plain Section. The section has been developed 

 principally for suburban residential use. Numerous groins have been 

 constructed to impound the littoral drift, widen the beach and protect the 

 toe of the bluff. 



c. Southern Lake Plain Section. This section includes the shore 

 from Wilmette Harbor to Foster Avenue in Chicago, a length of 7 miles. The 

 shore consists of a relatively low bank of easily eroded sediments. The 

 predominant southward littoral drift is very lean in the northern portion 

 of this section, but increases to a moderate volume in the southern portion. 

 The large artificial fill which extends into the lake at Foster Avenue has 

 impounded a wide beach to the north. The area is highly developed for 



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