Hazards of living on the edge of water: The case of Minnesota Point,Duluth, Minnesota

Based on a systematic sample survey among the residents of Minnesota Point, a fresh-water spit/baymouth bar on the southwest shore of Lake Superior, this study tests a number of hypotheses related to the perceived causes of lake level fluctuation and shore property hazards. The study found that, despite significant differences in property setting and the nature of flood and erosion hazards between the lakeside and the bayside of the spit, the majority of the respondents perceived that their property hazards were induced primarily by the manipulation of lake levels by the International Joint Commission (IJC). Consequently, one in every two respondents would like to lower the lake level by amounts ranging from 30 cm to more than 1 m. The study points out the physical limitations of controlling water levels and recommends that greater attention should be given to shoreline management, which could proivde guidelines for protecting existing coastal structures and for developing minimum standards for future encroachment of the remaining unused sections of the shoreline.Formly of the Department of Geography, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota 55812.