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Clinton News Record, 2016-10-12, Page 5Wednesday, October 12, 2016 • News Record 5 Shoreline management plan draft not in stone: ABCA Lynda Hillman-Rapley Postmedia Network It is a draft document and consultant's recommenda- tions that have some Lake Huron shoreline residents up in arms. In the end, it may be the lack of dissemi- nation from the steering committee to the local peo- ple that has caused the pub- lic concern. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, a steering committee and a consulting team are work- ing to update the Shoreline Management Plan, which hasn't been updated since 2000. The update began in July 2015 with the draft report from the consult- ants was released month ago. Geoff Cade, ABCA Super- visor of Water and Planning explained that he believes that the "ABCA has done a good job of notifying the public of the process through news releases, pub- lic events newsletters etc. Perhaps, however, the Authority could have made it more clear when posting the Consultants' Recommenda- tion Report that local poli- cies created after review of the comments may differ from those made by the consultants:' "I don't think it is a lack of dissemination from the Steering Committee." The document is based on current scientific knowledge and provincial policies and was prepared by the consult- ing team. The consulting team was led by Karen Wianecki, of Planning Solu- tions Inc., Judy Sullivan, of Aqua Solutions 5 Inc., and Robin Davidson -Arnott, Uni- versity of Guelph. Additional input was provided by Billy Singh, of Terraprobe Inc., and Ryan Mulligan, of Queen's University. The Steering Committee includes representation from diverse shoreline and industry interests. After comments on the document are received, reviewed, and considered by Ausable Bayfield Conserva- tion Authority and the Steer- ing Committee, the ABCA will work with municipalities and other reviewing bodies in early 2017 to develop draft local policies through a draft local policies implementa- tion plan. Lake levels are the highest they have been in years. These higher -than -average lake levels, combined with large amounts of rain, high winds and wave action due to sparse ice cover has led to erosion at the base of the bluffs and an increase in gully erosion in some areas. This in turn leads to higher risk of slope failures along the Lakeshore," says the ABCA website. As part of the updating process, the consulting team had a look at the shoreline and voiced a "seri- ous concern" about the number of structures on the shoreline located within the stable slope allowance. It was estimated there were about 77 dwellings and 126 accessory buildings within only five metres of the shoreline, putting them in danger of erosion problems. ABCA report that in total, if you look at everything within 15 metres, they have a total of around 382 dwelling units and 264 accessory buildings. Cade said the Shoreline Management Plan was approved in 1994. "It was created to help address shoreline hazards related to flooding, erosion, and dynamic beaches in ABCA watersheds. That plan, cre- ated with the help of the community, has reduced damage along the shoreline during severe storms and high water events. This plan was last updated in 2000." "The objectives of a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) are to develop and support solutions to current and future issues and problems along the shoreline. The primary focus of the ABCA Shore- line Management Plan is to address the shoreline haz- ards for flooding, erosion, and dynamic beaches and their impact on shoreline development. The main objectives of this focus are to "reduce or eliminate damage due to periods of erosion, flooding and dynamic beach movement that may occur to develop- ment close to the shore of Lake Huron. To direct new development away from hazardous areas and to help protect existing devel- opment from potential impacts of new development." "The purpose is to update the hazard limits for flood- ing, erosion, and dynamic Shoreline erosion beaches to reflect current mapping standards identi- fied in the Conservation Authorities Act and associ- ated Ontario Regulations (97/04, 147/06), the 2014 Provincial Policy State- ment, as well as new guide- lines and policy directives. The updated Shoreline Management Plan, once developed, will be used as a reference document by ABCA staff and by the shoreline municipalities in the ABCA watershed," states information on their website. The Steering Committee was created to help guide the process. That commit- tee is comprised of repre- sentatives from each of the four shoreline municipali- ties within the ABCA juris- diction, counties of Huron and Lambton, Shoreline residents and cottage asso- ciations, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Two adjacent conservation authorities and industry representa- tives. And this, says some residents, "may be where the link in the process broke." One Grand Bend shore- line resident said he was not aware of the process as he does not often "or ever" check out the ABCA website. "The way the draft report from the steering committee was presented was toxic to the point it has inflamed everyone because it looks like this is what the ABCA is going to do." The resident, who asked not to be named, said all of sudden this document is presented, and when it is read, it looks like if some- thing happens to your prop- erty you can't rebuild. "That is scary on so many levels," he said. Cade said that is not the intention. "This is a draft report with recommenda- tions from the consulting team." He said they are not "evicting anyone or tearing down what is already built." He said the ABCA has com- municated the activities of the process and there is a lot of information on their web- site (also newsletters, social media, media stories,) and the Authority staff have gone to public meetings to explain updates. The Bluewater Shoreline Residents Association (BSRA) is concerned the ABCA is taking their away their property rights. (See letter on Page 4). "The passing of the SMP such as proposed would have an impact on the value of the shoreline properties and the resale of same," explains Association past president Keith Locking in his letter. BSRA is an umbrella organization representing the common goals and unique interests and con- cerns of the shoreline com- munities in the Bluewater Wards of Hay West and Stan- ley West. BSRA keeps resi- dents informed about rel- evant issues and planning/ municipal governance matters. The scope of the study is this is just the shoreline area within the jurisdiction of the ABCA from approximately Towerline Road, north of Bayfield down to the north limits of First Nations Lands south of Port Franks. Com- pletion of the Shoreline Management Plan Update review and development of local implementation approaches is not expected until 2017. In addition to the Steering Committee, members of the community will have a num- ber of opportunities to become engaged in the pro- cess and to share their views. The public is invited to attend meetings of the Steer- ing Committee. The Steering Committee includes 15 min- utes at the end of each meet- ing for public questions, comments, and delegations. Members of the public are asked to contact ABCA in advance if you wish to make a presentation to the committee. ABCA file photo The current Recommen- dation Report that is avail- able for public written com- ments until December 1, 2016 is the report put for- ward by the Consulting Team. There are still a couple of months for people to pro- vide comments on that report. There will be public open houses in 2017 and oppor- tunities to ask questions and provide further comment and the development of local policies for implemen- tation is not complete and will not be complete until later next year. Shoreline property owners and other interested people are invited to review the document, download it for free, and provide written comments to ABCA. To reach the web page, click on the Shoreline Management icon on the abca.on.ca home page or use the search tool on the home page. Still have questions? If you have any addi- tional questions or would like to discuss the Shoreline Management Plan Update with ABCA staff in more detail, please feel free to contact Alec Scott or Geoff Cade at 519-235-2610 or toll-free at 1-888-286-2610 or email staff through our staff contact page at: http://www.abca.on.ca/ contact_staff.php.