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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-08-19, Page 8Page A8. Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 ou /e -e //vor-ta7t EN ERY DAY IiIND OVER 3 0 0 0 PRICES LOW,ERED* `compared to our regular prices. Look for save message on price reduction signage on shelf. See stand at customer service for rnorE. details. Phil ENTER TO WIN IN OUR... 0/44 $100 GIFT CARD for you $500 GIFT CARD for your favourite charity Draw to be made Sat., August 22 PIS zehrs ,4da'4a 1 •, Ares November 15. OOO I E. ort term savingsprogram In these difficult times, any advantage can be beneficial. We are proud to introduce the Zehrs Advantage savings program, designed to assist customers receiving Federal E.I. benefits. Register today to receive up to $15.00 of your grocery bill. Bring in your proof of E.I. benefits and get complete details in-store. Hwy. 8, Goderich 519-524-2229 Photo by Gerard Creces The corner of this Bluewater Beach dwelling is literally over the edge of the expand- ing gully, as the land beneath it continues to erode. Erosion causing drastic land loss for lakefront communities Gerard Crecy signal -star staff "Castles made of sand fall in the sea... even- tually" The words of Jimi Hendrix ring true for the residents of Bluewater Beach and other com- munities along Lake Huron's bluffs, as their time and their land are slipping away. Bluewater Beach is situated on about one square kilometre of bluffs in the municipal- ity of Central Huron. Gullies, worn into the land through years of natural process are be- ing accelerated as weather patterns continue to change. Residents now fear as much for property values as for the properties themselves. A trip to the gully's edge reveals half a base- ball diamond, a recently -moved fence and even a shed perched half on land and half over the expanding ravine. Due to unusually high rains and snowmelt this past winter, the banks of the Bluewater Beach gully have eroded as much as 30 feet in the past eight months. Precipitation levels have been gaining in intensity, according to an MVCA study on cli- mate trends, and this is bad news for lakefront dwellings. Sadly for the residents, there is no sure-fire way to combat nature. Steve Jackson of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority said most, if not all, the measures that can be taken to counteract erosion are temporary at best. The measures that can be taken are costly, and homeowners are left to fend for themselves. "There are remedial measures that can be done but unfortunately the province doesn't have any funding for those," he said. "Indi- vidual property owners are on their own." The amount of rainfall the area would his- torically receive in a day now falls within a matter of hours, Jackson said. Even if it is the same amount of precipitation, the sudden del- uge can be far more upsetting than a gradual runoff. "You're fighting mother nature so it is going to be a difficult battle to stop the erosion of the gullies," he said. In a letter to the Minister of the Environ- ment, Bluewater Beach resident Mike Hod- gins stated since autumn of 2008, approxi- mately 10 to 15 feet of the ravine bank was lost after heavy rains and unseasonal thaw in December. The watercourse that runs into the gully runs about 500 metres south of two planned stormwater management ponds east of Mai- tland Woods, Goderich, causing further con- cerns from residents on the other end of the ravine. While the ponds are an effort to regulate the flow of runoff to the lakeshore, if precipitation continues to fall in short-lived but high-volume outbursts instead of gradually, the potential for uncontrolled overflow remains, he said. "I believe in the precautionary principle," he wrote to the minister. "If you're not sure that a project won't hurt the environment, don't do it_" From the lake bluffs to the river bank, noth- ing was left unaffected by the year's unpre- dictable thaws and intensified precipitation. On the banks of the Maitland River, a por- tion of the Maitland Trail was washed away this winter. The entrance to the trail, just be- hind the CNR station on Nelson Street, God- erich, was wiped out early in the season. Snow fencing had been installed at the top of the bank to prevent buildup but the prob- lem area grew wider. Envrinonmental ser- vices technologist for the Town of Goderich, Jennette Walker, said the catalyst was a mix of the right ground conditions and the wrong weather. "It's a severe slope with lots of springs run- ning through it," she said. "With the severe weather we had, there was maybe a metre and a half left." Public Works manager Chip Wilson, along with engineering firm B.M. Ross, recom- mended Goderich Council get a geotechnical assessment of the bank in March, and the out- look was much like that facing the Bluewater Bluffs. Work could be done, but there were no guarantees how long it would last. "Eventually, we'll need to realize we can't control nature;" Walker said. "But for now this is better for (the trail)." Using composted wood shavings as filler, land was built up along the collapsed bank., with drainage pipes being installed to divert water below the trail's surface. Walker said the wood shavings provided See EROSION, Page 17