Erosion continues to affect region’s roads, dikes

Closed roads. Costly fixes. Uncertain futures.

With hundreds of kilometres of shoreline, Southwestern Ontario municipalities are forced to grapple with the crippling impact of erosion on their infrastructure.

Severe flooding is becoming a more acute symptom of the high water levels suffered lately across the region. It continues to take a costly toll each year, chipping away at critical shoreline protections and vital transportation links.

Last summer, Chatham-kent officials had to close a portion of one important roadway — Talbot Trail — because erosion from Lake Erie had compromised its structural integrity.

In 2010, the municipality had to build a $200,000 bypass in the same area after nearby bank erosion caused a major crack in the road.

A public meeting in Tilbury Thursday had municipal officials, consultants and area residents brainstorming on what the future could look like for the road, a nearly 200-kilometre highway that winds its way through East, South and West Kent to points beyond.

Last year, a road in Wheatley Provincial Park was also affected by severe erosion, with shocking photos going viral online.

“We are not alone. I can say that,” said Chris Thibert, Chatham-kent’s director of engineering and transportation. “There is a provincewide problem for a lot of infrastructure and a lot of private properties.”

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Chatham-kent, which just declared a state of emergency over its crumbling dike near Erieau, is conducting a shoreline study to be completed this spring.

The study will identify shoreline hazards, meteorology, climate change impact, coastal engineering design and adaptation planning for the Lake Erie shoreline from Wheatley to Clear Creek, which is the lake boundary for Chatham-kent.

Other communities on the north end of the region have suffered similar issues.

Rob Sharon, Leamington’s director of infrastructure services, said a number of low-lying shoreline areas in that municipality often experience closures, especially on Cotterie Park Road.

“That’s our most problemsome road with regards to erosion,” he said.

Sharon said the areas east of the Leamington marina have also had issues.

“We’ve done a few projects, just building up armour stone along various roadways — protecting the roads.”

He said it’s difficult to gauge the exact financial impact but estimates the municipality has spent some $500,000 in shoreline works to protect municipal lands.

Leamington is also undertaking a shoreline study, including a risk assessment and flood mapping of low-lying areas.

Aiming for the end of March for completion, Sharon said a report to Leamington council will likely come in May.

“It’s one of the key outcomes that we wish to get out of our study. Certainly the level of investment that would have to be made to make certain areas sustainable would far outweigh the value of those lands. But you can’t just paint the whole area with that brush. Each area sort of has its own nuances and uniqueness to it.”

David Jackson, Sarnia’s director of engineering, said the city hopes to invest that money to reinforce the infrastructure and, in turn, minimize emergency repair work.

“Last year, we spent over a million dollars on emergency repair work,”

He said the conservation authority has a long-term shoreline protection strategy in place, but now the challenge will be funding those measures in the coming years.

Shoreline protection in Sarnia’s budget increased from $500,000 to $2 million last year.