Protecting Hillman Marsh now will help in the future
I still have a compact disc of a flood simulation showing what might happen around Hillman Marsh and east Leamington should protective dikes give way and waters from Lake Erie start pouring into surrounding lowlands.
A simulation is a model generated to explore an event or the consequences of an event, and this simulation was designed to demonstrate consequences of a massive breach of existing dikes.
Ken Schmidt headed the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) at the time and a major study was underway in response to concerns about the dikes and barriers protecting not only Hillman Marsh but surrounding farmlands and residences. I was assisting with a survey of area residents.
An expert on dike construction had been engaged and his report pointed out that many of the barriers surrounding Hillman Marsh had been constructed sort of “bottoms-up.” Peaty topsoil that had been initially removed was simply laid down as a base for a dike and heavier soils such as clays and sands were layered on top. It was very poor dike construction.
Along the shoreline, meanwhile, various types of barriers had been installed to protect against shoreline erosion. Ironically, some of those barriers, because of wave action, contributed to undermining that very shoreline.
Several planning, reporting and discussion sessions related to the project were held at Essex County's Civic Centre. The flood simulation model was employed to demonstrate what “could” happen were there ever a massive breach of the existing dikes.
A week before one of those ERCA sessions a massive low pressure system — remnants of a hurricane moving north from the Gulf of Mexico — had stalled over Indiana, dumping vast quantities of rain upon that U.S. state. The deep low eventually moved north, bringing severe thunderstorms to Essex and Kent counties.
Asked at one of the ERCA sessions, “What if a storm like that stalled over the eastern basin of Lake Erie?” the answer was: “Disaster, as counter-clockwise winds would draw water towards the Leamington shore.
“Moreover, a stalled low-pressure system could create an effective dam to water moving from the western to the eastern basin of Lake Erie. High water and high winds would seriously threaten the shoreline north of Point Pelee.”
It is interesting to see all this potential flood threat revisited now as ERCA pursues construction of a barrier dike to protect the integrity of Hillman Marsh and adjoining lowlands. That protection would also add some sense of security for those living and farming the east Leamington lowlands.
One of many problems often faced by ERCA is widespread public hostility to its broad mandate. In some respects it is akin to an environmental enforcement agency. ERCA is empowered by the Ontario's Conservation Authorities Act to protect lives and property from natural hazards.
Last year, the Ford government reduced the mandate of conservation authorities to review applications under Ontario's Planning Act. Bill 23 also requires that some services deemed non-core, including public education, become more cost-effective.
When ERCA'S director of infrastructure
Kevin Money outlined the plan to save Hillman Marsh and protect surrounding low-lying properties he was building upon a long-standing awareness of the importance of a protected wildlife habitat at Hillman Marsh.
I have wandered the dikes of Hillman Marsh on numerous occasions, and appreciate both the beauty and fragility of that area, a resplendent species-rich habitat located next to an often unrelenting Lake Erie.
The City of Windsor, for whatever reason, has decided to reduce support for two of ERCA'S “non-mandated” programs — land acquisition and the agricultural stewardship outreach program. Other county municipalities followed suit which will result in a drop of $480,000 for land acquisition.
Already under financial stress because of provincial funding reductions, ERCA'S chief administrative officer, Tim Byrne, must be shaking his head in despair.