A home on Lake Michigan has been demolished after the ground underneath eroded from rising water levels

Jordyn Noennig | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Show Caption Hide Caption Home hanging on a cliff over Lake Michigan is demolished Workers demolish an abandoned home dangling from a cliff 50 feet above the Lake Michigan shoreline in Somers.

A home in the Village of Somers has been demolished after Lake Michigan's rising water levels caused the ground under the home to erode.

About a year ago a family lived in the home and lost a sun porch, connected to the home, into the lake. Soon after, they abandoned the home as it dangled over Lake Michigan, according to Jason Peters, Somers village and town assistant administrator.

The home, which was sold for $181,000 in 2003, was foreclosed on in May, according to property records. The cost to keep the bluff from eroding could have cost the same as the home and property itself.

"Revetment on some parcels is $100,000 to $200,000. People are fortifying their banks and trying to protect their property," Peters said. "It's just too cost-prohibitive for some people to do it."

The village ordered the home, at 609 17th St., to be razed earlier this year. After weather delays this fall, it was finally demolished by Thursday.

The abandoned home is one of many Wisconsin houses that are closer to Lake Michigan after losing shoreline.

Over the last five years, lake levels have continued to climb, driven by high rainfall. In August, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that Lake Michigan was more than 6 feet above its January 2013 level, tying a 33-year record.

According to research from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, when lake levels rise, waves remove more sediment from the base of the bluffs, causing them to steepen.

Eventually, the angle becomes so steep that the cliff comes crashing down, carrying with it whatever sits on top.

Peters said the village has reached out to Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil to see if the federal government can help.

"The problem is affecting all the shoreline across the village's eastern border," Peters said. "Given the size and the scope of the problem, we don't have the resources available to help everyone."

Jordyn Noennig covers pop culture and entertainment in Milwaukee. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.