Shoreline erosion threatens dozens of municipal properties in Norfolk County, report says

It was the possibility of Port Dover's water treatment plant being damaged by a surging Lake Erie that prompted Norfolk County to get a better handle on which county-owned properties are at risk from shoreline erosion.

Of the 73 parcels of publicly owned shoreline identified as being of concern, 30 were deemed critical properties" requiring immediate action to minimize danger to life and damage from flooding, erosion, and associated hazards," according to a report prepared by Andrew Grice, Norfolk's general manager of environmental and infrastructure services.

What action is needed varies, Grice told councillors on Tuesday, from a relatively small fix" to pretty significant capital investment."

The at-risk properties range from vacant lots, parkland and beach access points to county road allowances and municipal infrastructure like the waterfront treatment plant.

There are some cases where shoring up the county-owned section of waterfront would still leave it vulnerable because adjacent privately owned land is not similarly bolstered against the waves, Grice said.

But there are also situations where private landowners have already installed erosion-mitigation measures and the unprotected municipal shoreline has become the weak link.

We're now compromising their properties," Grice said, noting some at-risk sites are already completely submerged due to present water levels.

Most properties are in the Long Point area, including two road allowances and nearly a dozen parcels of land on Hastings Drive, a flood-prone roadway where trailers are set up on provincially designated hazard land.

Grice said Hastings Drive is recognized as a problem area" but is not on the initial list of critical projects.

The other properties are in Port Dover, Port Rowan and elsewhere along the Lake Erie shoreline.

Council awarded W.F. Baird and Associates Coastal Engineers Limited a $50,000 contract to complete more detailed assessments of the at-risk properties and suggest solutions.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com