Pennsylvania Lake Erie Control Point Bluff Erosion StoryMap

The  Bluff Recession and Setback Act  (BRSA), enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1980 and amended in 2011, provides for the regulation of structure setbacks in bluff recession hazard areas (BRHAs) along the Lake Erie shoreline to limit property damage and bluff recession. Companion regulations in  Title 25, Chapter 85 of the Pennsylvania Code  were subsequently adopted to authorize a comprehensive and coordinated program to regulate development activities to preserve and restore the natural ecological systems, while preventing continued destruction of property and structures. Under the program, The Coastal Resources Management Program (CRMP) within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is charged with the identification and establishment of BRHAs, development of minimum bluff setback distances, and review of municipal setback ordinances and regulations. 

The BRSA requires DEP to conduct studies to establish designated BRHAs and develop minimum bluff setback distances for development. Historical control point recession rates, aerial photography, and geophysical evaluations were utilized to develop the most recent  study to designate BRHAs  along Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie shoreline. This study utilized aerial photography, as far back as 1938, to measure erosion rates at 2,000 transects along Pennsylvania's Lake Erie shoreline. The BRHAs and setback distances resulting from this study were formally adopted in the 2009 revisions to the Chapter 85 BRSA regulations.  

CRMP provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities to develop and implement local zoning ordinances consistent with the requirements of the BRSA and Chapter 85 regulations. Municipalities with formally designated BRHAs are required to adopt ordinances that limit new development and improvements to existing structures within BRHAs, establish minimum setback distances from the bluff crest, and provide for the issuance of variances for eligible activities. More information is available in the  Municipal Reference Document - Guidance for the Implementation of the Chapter 85 Bluff Recession and Setback Regulations .

CRMP, municipalities, and the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development provide technical assistance to individual property owners to promote best management practices that can minimize bluff recession and educate those property owners on the regulatory requirements of Chapter 85.

CRMP also hosts annual workshops for landowners, realtors, municipal officials, and other individuals operating or living on the shoreline. Topics range from best management practices for property owners, to the effects of high lake levels on shoreline stability, and permitting requirements for shoreline structures. Workshops are free and open to the public.

If you would like more information on workshops, have erosion issues, or other concerns, please contact:

Shelby Clark, Lake Erie Coastal Resources Coordinator 724.953.6006 (cell) shelclark@pa.gov

Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Mercyhurst College, and CRMP collaborated on the development of  Vegetative Best Management Practices: A Manual for Pennsylvania/Lake Erie Landowners . The PDF document is accessible to view and download, providing background of bluff processes and information for homeowners to manage vegetation to foster stability.

When zoomed out, the shoreline is symbolized by erosion rates measured at the nearest control point. View the legend in the bottom left for erosion rate ranges by color.

Zoom into the map to view each individual control point. Left-click on a control point to view a pop-up menu containing oblique aerial imagery and graphs.

A layer representing all control point locations and measurements can be  accessed as a feature layer  or  downloaded as a shapefile  for use in mapping applications. A non-interactive series of these maps and graphs can also be downloaded as  a PDF file .

Note: There are several control points that are no longer monitored (suspended) and were never located using a GPS. These points are not located on the map above, but are included on the following graphs.

A table containing all control point data, including individual measurements and associated information, can also be downloaded as an  Excel Spreadsheet  or  PDF File .

Just east of Twelvemile Creek, the bluffs at this site in North East Township are the highest in Erie County at over 100 feet of relief. They are composed of a massive top layer of sand and gravel, underlain by finer lacustrine (lake) sands. Next, a layer of clay comprises the base of the bluff. The underlying shale bedrock dips below the water level at this location, allowing for additional wave erosion of these unconsolidated glacial deposits, called till.

Recession at this site has been active for decades as wave action erodes soft sediments at the bluff, while surface and groundwater, combined with wind, destabilizes the upper bluff face. This retreat will continue until the bluff reattains an angle of repose with a new landward bluff crest. Notice that the access road had to be relocated landward after the receding bluff encroached upon it.

Use the slider below to see the erosion that occurred at this site between 1978 and 2018.

Control point monitoring is only one method of monitoring bluff erosion. Combined with remote sensing technologies like Lidar and aerial photography, these datasets illustrate dramatic recession occurring at this site. Scan through the images below for examples.

On the west side of the county, Lake Erie Community Park in Girard Township is experiencing more recent accelerated rates of erosion. Bluffs in this area are very prone to slumping/slides due to the presence of thick beach and lacustrine (lake) sands near the bluff crest. Bedrock is not exposed at the bluff base at this site, and instead more easily erodible till forms a fragile bluff toe. High lake levels beginning in 2015 and peaking in 2019 have resulted in dramatic recession events across all of Lake Erie.

Some oblique views of the western end of Lake Erie Community Park from 2006-2017

The map tour below shows site photos from Lake Erie Community Park from various years. Most of the recent recession has taken place in the center of the park, west of the pavilion.

View a drone video showing erosion at Lake Erie Community Park from January 9, 2023.

 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Coastal Resources Management Program 

 Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development's Coastal Zone Management 

 Pennsylvania Sea Grant 

 Pennsylvania Great Lakes Water and Land Technical Resources (WALTeR) 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Coastal Zone Management Program 

 United States Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources: Coasts 

Questions or comments on this Story Map or any topic related to coastal management can directed to the Pennsylvania Coastal Resources Management Program at  ra-epcoastalzone@pa.gov .