MICHIGAN BLUFF IMPACTS AND CHANGES, WHO LISTENED?

The Michigan Great Lakes have had impacted shorelines, rebounding land surfaces and changes in lake levels for the last 10,000 years. In 1995 Dr. Ronald Chase and Dr. Alan Kehew proposed a research project, geological engineering and hydrogeologic and received funding from the WMU Faculty Research Fund, U.S Army Research Office, then Army Corp of Engineers, Detroit office, to assess what is causing those impacts, post 1987 Lake Michigan bluff failures, beginning in 1995 to 2008. Kehew and Chase conducted mapping and geological engineering research and published those recommendations, on bluff issues at Miami Park, Allegan County and areas North. Both Chase and Kehew’s technical and strong remediation presentations were questioned. Michigan Geological Survey (MGS) began follow up research in 2016 with funding support from USGS. The bluff region had regulators, county administrators, researchers and local dwellers asking what to do, before the highwater levels. MGS began presenting what they needed to hear again, using current remote sensing and mapping methods.

Those recommendations were ignored and over time, catastrophic failures occurred from Muskegon down to Berrien County during the 2016 to 2020 high lake levels. As a consequence, most of the areas and townships that did not control the surface water and shallow ground water had catastrophic failure. Those areas that did control the surface water and shallow ground water, have not had as many, if any catastrophic impacts, Mount Pleasant, Casco Township, Allegan County, just to the south of Miami Park.

Al Kehew’s geologic career and studies spanned the globe and many glacial principals and theories that Al Kehew uncovered and evolved have resulted in new geologic depositional concepts and theories being presented during his life as a geologist. Kehew was softspoken and presented the facts in his way. Too many scientists and professionals not knowing Al Kehew manner did not believe him, when all who knew Al, knew Kehew had the information and had the foundation to make those assumptions, and Kehew knew the answer. We stand here today, honoring Al Kehew for all his mentoring, research and love for geology and he will be missed.