‘We could be in the ocean’
Trepassey residents worried as breakwater fails; mayor says town can't afford another project
Jim Corrigan is worried. He’s one of several residents in Trepassey whose property is at risk after the failure of the town’s breakwater.
A lifelong resident of Trepassey and a fisherman with 40 years of experience, Corrigan says he’s living in fear.
“I've spent a lot of time out to sea. You don't stop the North Atlantic. They can't just build what they had before and expect it to work,” he says.
STOOD FOR EIGHT MONTHS
The town’s breakwater failed just eight months after it was rehabilitated, a project that received funding from the federal and provincial governments.
“Eight months. That's it. Like I say, it's just not done right," says Corrigan.
"Water levels are the big issue now. It's the main source of our problems. You may as well forget about paving the road. Sure it'll be washed away tomorrow for all we know."
Corrigan says something needs to be done, fast, because there's significant risk to the town.
“We have a section of road that could all be washed (away)," he said.
"We all worry about it. Living in here is now living in fear. What if something happens now? We have to get helicopter service if the road gets washed. We've got no protection. It's exposed. And the water level every year gets higher and higher."
CLIMATE CHANGE TAKING TOLL
He says climate change has worsened the situation, and he is worried that without the breakwater, damage could be extensive.
“If you had the rocks, and you had a bit of washout, you can get a truckload in there and get the roads fixed. But now, it costs $1 million for the breakwater. In the next few weeks, we could be in the ocean,” he says.
“There's got to be somebody with the mentality to stop this. How can you have the road without a breakwater? We could be cut right off the whole works of it. One pole falls down, it takes down the rest.”
MAJOR CONCERNS
Corrigan says the road and a handful of houses aren’t his only worry.
“We're unprotected now. Our power and water, and cable and telephone, everything that comes to Trepassey is from the road. Everything is a concern for us. It's the main road coming down across the beach,” says Corrigan.
Mayor Rita Pennell agrees, and says the damage the town could potentially face would be devastating.
“Twenty-five houses that’s low-lying. There’s our water line, sewer line. And then all the poles for power. You’ll lose your power, water, and everything,” says Pennell.
If the road is washed out, she added, “They can’t get an ambulance if someone is sick. If there’s a fire, they can’t get a fire truck down there.
“Safety has to come first. Safety is fire, safety is sickness.”
GONE ON REGULAR NIGHT
Pennell says the new breakwater wasn’t destroyed during a storm, but on a regular night. She says the replacement project was flawed from the start.
“They kept saying they could only put back what came down. Sure, that’s not sensible. If it came down when the storm hit, why would they put the same back?” she says.
“The contractor did the proper scope of work. The problem started with the engineers. We sat in chairs and we told them what we needed with climate change and everything. If you’re going to spend a million dollars, probably be better off spending two and then doing it right.
“The most important thing is that the engineers didn’t do it right, what the people told them needs to be done.”
NOT THE FIRST TIME
This wasn’t the first time the town’s water line was nearly swept away.
“We had a storm on Sept. 10, 2022, and that washed out the road almost four feet. We just saved the water that time. That was around hurricane Earle,” says Pennell.
Pennell points out that the breakwater project in 2023 was not cheap.
“Just eight months it lasted. The provincial government paid, and then they billed the federal government under emergency funding. We had to pay the HST on it. It was about $40,000 after what we got back,” she says.
“It’s quite a small town. Four hundred people. We haven’t got that kind of money to throw around every few months.”
OUT OF MONEY
She says the town is out of money for breakwater projects. It still owes money on the tax to the contractor, and with the breakwater now destroyed, there’s not enough money for another round of renovations at the town, she says.
“We don’t have 100,000 cents. Common sense will tell you, a small town having to come up with between $40,000 and $50,000 is not in their budget. That’s nearly impossible to do,” says Pennell.
“We’re talking to the government right now. I explained to them we don’t have the money. We have no way to get the money because we don’t have any tax base here. We have a few small businesses here.”
GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE
In a statement to Saltwire, the Transportation and Works Department said the government is working with the town to assess the damages and develop a plan to remediate past damage to the sea wall.
“Government works with communities to help them make their infrastructure more resilient and better adapt to the impact of climate change,” the department stated.
STILL WORRIED
Meanwhile, residents like Corrigan are going to bed worried about their safety and their community.
“I live in fear. You just don’t know what will happen,” Corrigan says.
“I could wake up tomorrow and be cut off from the rest of the world.
“What do I do then? I’ve said it before, you can’t and don’t stop the North Atlantic.”