A stretch of the Sydenham River is being recommended for nearly $600,000 in engineering services as part of a slope stabilization project in Chatham Township and Camden.
Municipal staff members were to present a tender from London-based Matrix Solutions Inc. for the work, which would involve the areas of Glasgow Line and Short Line.
A report slated for the Feb. 6 council meeting states that slope stability and bank erosion along the Thames and Sydenham rivers have been an “ongoing concern” for the municipality.
The municipality issued a request for proposals for a municipal class environmental assessment, associated with consulting engineering services related to the design and contract administration of a riverbank slope stabilization project at four separate sites.
The subject sites cover approximately 1,080 meters along the river.
In early 2019, the federal government, through Infrastructure Canada, announced Chatham-Kent would receive financial support as part of the Disaster Mitigation and Adaption Fund.
Infrastructure Canada awarded the municipality $16,575,200 over 10 years, with 2019 being the first year. The cost-sharing program involves municipalities providing 60 per cent of the funding and the federal government providing the remainder.
“This riverbank slope stabilization project will be very complex due to the nature of the areas and the proximity of the existing roads,” the report stated.
The environmental assessment requires engagement with federal and provincial agencies, along with Indigenous consultation.
There will also be public stakeholder consultation, the report added, but at this time it is not known if it will take place virtually or in person.
The study will include natural environmental assessment, archeological assessment, stormwater conveyance, river hydraulics and a slope stability analysis.