Seawalls ease property owners’ fears of erosion – but not for their neighbors

In 2007, Concordia University of Wisconsin, in Mequon, finished fortifying a 130ft bluff and building a 2,700ft-long rock wall to buffer waves. This photo shows a portion of the project in June 2016. Photograph: Aaron Volkening/Flickr Creative Commons license

Six years ago, David Spector bought an 80-year-old house perched on a 120ft bluff, with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan.

But that priceless view may end up costing Spector more than he could have imagined. His house, located about 20 miles outside of Milwaukee, sits in a particularly bad spot for erosion, with wind and waves whittling away at the base of the bluff. Ten years ago, the house stood 50ft away from the bluff’s edge. Today it’s less than 10ft away.