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Thirteen municipalities in Lake County are banding together to help residents address the cost of erosion on lakefront properties. The cities are working to create a special improvement district, or SID, to help lower the financial risk and obligations of erosion protection, including offering targeted loan options.

Severe erosion continues in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio, where an additional 5-6 feet of lakefront was lost to Lake Erie during storms Wednesday.鈥淚t looks鈥�

Erosion problems are deepening along the Lake Erie shoreline in Geneva-on-the-Lake, affecting both private and public property. Public infrastructure could be under threat and officials are developing plans to combat the land loss in the most problematic areas. Village officials met with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources last week to inspect areas around Geneva鈥檚 Township Park, which has lost more than 45 feet of shoreline in some areas. The rate of erosion has been inconsistent, said Mayor Dwayne Bennett, Sr.

Lake Erie is tearing away parts of the shoreline along Geneva-on-the-Lake. The village has declared a state of emergency due to accelerated erosion. The shoreline along Geneva Township Park lost 35 feet of land to Lake Erie last week. In the past 24 hours, it鈥檚 lost between six and eight feet more, said Geneva-on-the-Lake Village Administrator Jeremy Shaffer. 鈥淲e鈥檙e cautioning people to look but stay away, at a safe distance,鈥� Shaffer said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 also that imminent threat to public infrastructure, to critical infrastructure pieces in this.鈥�

Mild temperatures so far this winter could have a lasting impact on Lake Erie鈥檚 shoreline. Late ice formation on the lake can cause even more erosion, according to scientists. Despite a cold November, temperatures this winter have remained mostly mild. Lake Erie鈥檚 water temperatures are hovering in the mid-thirties 鈥� not cold enough to freeze.

Elaina Goodrich sits on a blanket at Edgewater Park Beach on Lake Erie, watching her 3-year-old grandson scoop up sand by the colorful plastic bucketful. In spring and summer, the two often spend their mornings here. It's a favorite spot for both of them 鈥� she for the peace and restoration, he for the fun. Lately, though, she's been noticing something different: They've been sitting further and further up the beach to avoid actually sitting in the water.

Lisa Kenion lives in Euclid, Ohio, right off of Lake Erie. She鈥檚 a member of the Moss Point Beach Club, a neighborhood with a private little patch of鈥�