Erosion an expensive Lake Erie problem
According to James Kaspersetz, most of the shoreline along Lake Erie “needs drastic care.”
Kaspersetz is a senior environmental specialist with Ontario Environmental Assessments, and who was vice-chair of Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority until its new board was sworn in.
“We have a unique geological feature here with the Lowbanks bluffs,” he said.
Unfortunately, as impressive as it can be to watch the waters of Lake Erie pound against the shoreline, it’s causing major erosion issues.
“Not only do we have to do the break walls, but we also have to figure out how to stop the erosion,” Kaspersetz said. “We have an unstable bank.”
He said that many people live along Lake Erie because the homes themselves are more affordable. The problem is, the cost to repair the damage caused by the water is not.
“The people who live here don’t have $60,000 to fix this.”
Kaspersetz said according to his calculations, it would cost about $230 million to do all of the work needed along the length of the Lake Erie shoreline.
It’s not just a matter of hiring a company to do the work, either. Part of the shoreline falls under Grand River Conservation Authority’s jurisdiction, and part NPCA’s, which means that property owners have to get a permit first.
Kaspersetz said that he has proposed that NPCA try to reach a memorandum of understanding with GRCA, which would allow NPCA to look after permit reviews for all of the property owners along the lake.
“That would allow the homeowners to pool their resources on their application review,” by only having to put in one application, he said. It would also help speed up the process. This is something that has to be done this winte. They need the break wall now, but it could take a year for it to get in.”
Ultimately, Kaspersetz would like to see Haldimand County offer low-interest loans to homeowners so they could get the work done immediately, and then tie the repayment to the property’s taxes.
“The county has a reserve fund,” he said.
However, it’s not just getting the repair work done and a break wall put in.
“If someone was checking here, we could stop problems before they become catastrophes.”