ABSTRACT
"Lotus Bay, a gently curved bay located on the southeastern shore of Lake Erie approximately 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York, falls in the coastal erosion hazard area of the Town of Brant in Erie County, New York. Because neither the Town of Brant nor Erie County have produced regulations for the hazard area, the state must approve and issue coastal erosion management permits for proposed projects in Lotus Bay. As a geologist and frequent visitor to Lake Erie's Lotus Bay, the author have observed the erosive power of Great Lakes storm waves and talked to property owners about building projects along the lake's shores. Nearly all property owners in Lotus Bay own some kind of boat or water craft. The need to moor and launch these craft has resulted in the construction of docks and boat ramps. The author’s conversations with residents living in Lotus Bay have revealed that most people consider erosion to be "bad."
