the village of Put-in-Bay adjoins the Pederal park. The marshy areas west 

 of Port Clinton are used extensively for hunting and trapping. Pollution 

 is not a problem at any of the bathing beaches within the study area. 

 Studies in 1956 indicated the Lake Erie waters in this region to be of good 

 quality for swimming or other recreational purposes. 



The mainland shore under study consists principally of low-lying marshy 

 or reclaimed marsh areas fronted by low barrier beaches composed of fine 

 sand. The west shore of Catawba Island and the shore between East Harbor and 

 Marblehead Light are comprised of glacial till or rocky bluffs with coarse 

 pebble or cobble beaches at indentations. Shores of the offshore islands are 

 of rugged nature, consisting of cliffs for most of the islands* perimeters. 

 Maumee and Portage Rivers are the principal rivers draining into Lake Erie 

 through the study area, but neither contributes any substantial amount of 

 beach material to the Lake Erie shore. Several other minor streams and 

 drainage canals also reach Lake Erie through the shores of the study area. 

 West of Locust Point, wider beaches have accumulated to the east of struc- 

 tures at the creek mouths, while east of Locust Point wider beaches appear 

 to the west of structures. A large sand bar extends northwest from Little 

 Cedar Point across the Maumee Bay entrance. Material supplying the bar and 

 beaches is derived chiefly from erosion of adjacent shores, but throughout 

 the entire area there is a scarcity of littoral drift. Excepting rocky 

 headlands on the mainland and the offshore islands, the entire study area 

 has a history of erosion. In many places the natural barrier beaches have 

 been breached and are deteriorating under wave action. Matzger Marsh is open 

 to Lake Erie even at normal lake stages. Reno Beach and Howard Farms, east 

 of Little Cedar Point, are protected by a lake shore earth levee constructed 

 by the two communities. This levee has been breached and repaired at various 

 times. An authorized Federal project for flood control at this location has 

 not yet been built. Miscellaneous groins, bulkheads, and revetments have 

 been erected in attempts to stabilize the shore, but have been only partially 

 effective. The scarcity of natural littoral drift material precludes the 

 formation of adequate beaches by groins alone. Six steel sheet pile groins 

 varying in length from 109 to 187 feet and spaced 300 feet apart were con- 

 structed by the State of Ohio in 1958 at Crane Creek State Park. 



The mean lake level for the months of April to November is about 1.8 

 feet above the established low water datum of elevation 570.5 feet. The 

 highest lake stage and the highest monthly mean recorded at Toledo, Ohio, 

 are respectively about 6.5 and 4.2 feet above low water datum. Storms cause 

 sharp changes in lake levels as winds move the water toward the ends of the 

 lake. The greater fetch and movement of winds affecting the area are from 

 the northeasterly direction, and because the area is near the western end 

 of Lake Erie, it is estimated that, considering the effect of wind setup 

 during easterly storms, the lake could reach a level in the study area of 

 about 6 feet above low water datum with a frequency of at least once in 20 

 years. During a northeast storm waves may range up to 8 or 9 feet in height 

 in deep water with annual frequency, but ordinarily waves of this height 

 would break before reaching shore structures. Natural beach berm heights 

 in the study area range from 5 to 9 feet above low water datum. Existing 



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