Council approves new dike construction in Erie shore area

Believing action must be taken sooner than later, Chatham-Kent council voted to move ahead with an $8.9 million option for a new dike and drainage system in the Erie shoreline area.

A special council meeting took place Thursday night at the John D. Bradley Convention Center to accommodate residents, with a modest number in attendance.

After receiving a preliminary consultant report on the Burk drainage works, council approved the recommended option, 1A, which involves relocating the Lakeshore drain and constructing a new dike along Erie Shore Drive to prevent flows from the lake from overtopping the dike system.

“Doing nothing is not the right thing to do,” said Chatham Coun. Marjorie Crew, who moved the recommendation. “This is a moving forward motion.”

The drainage engineer will now proceed with the preparation of a final report.

According to a staff report, the work would minimize the duration of flooding and also provide front yard drainage for the residential lands south of Erie Shore Drive.

Drainage features would include storm sewers and a pump to discharge floodwater on the road directly to the lake.

Costs would be assessed against the agricultural lands at $3,706 per acre, while assessments to lakefront lots would vary depending on length of frontage but would be approximately $5,180 on average, stated the report.

As part of the recommendation, council also voted to initiate abandonment, under the Drainage Act, of all groynes and seawalls that are part of the Burk drainage works.

The term ‘abandonment’ refers to the Drainage Act process to take drains out of a municipality’s formal infrastructure under the act, including for the purpose of maintenance and repair.

“This recommendation is based on the engineer’s conclusions that ‘the existing groynes and seawalls have greatly deteriorated and serve no useful purpose’ and ‘repairing the groynes and seawalls to the standard set out in the current bylaws would not provide the degree of flood protection desired by the lakefront owners,’” the report stated.

Other options listed in the report included the following:

– Option 1A, but with a reservoir and second pump for added drainage ($9,870,500);

– Rock and groyne features installed on the lakebed to promote beach formation along the shore ($61.6 million);

– Armor stone installed along shoreline ($83,325,000).

In June of 2021, council appointed RC Spencer Associates Inc. to prepare the preliminary report.

South Kent Coun. Ryan Doyle entered a motion Thursday to postpone the recommendation until the Drainage Act process and any appeals were completed, however, it failed on the floor.

Terra Cadeau, president of the Erie Shore Drive Property Owners Association, gave a deputation to request the deferral.

After the meeting, she expressed disappointment, adding it’s too soon at this point to know the implications.

“Our desire first and foremost is to work with the municipality,” she said. “We’ve always wanted to have a collaborative solution that works for everyone.

“It’s not the outcome that we wanted, but it’s not the end of the story. …We’ll reassess and determine the next steps forward.”

South Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci entered a friendly amendment asking that Chatham-Kent lobby the federal and provincial governments for funds for new shoreline protection along Erie Shore Drive, with the intention of reducing costs to residential and agricultural landowners.

Flooding has been an ongoing problem for shoreline residents over the years, most recently from 2018 to 2020, due to higher lake levels and strong winds battering the area at that time.

In late February of 2020, a state of emergency was declared for Erie Shore Drive and the area protected by the dike. Officials had said high risk of dike failure could potentially lead to the flooding of 640 hectares of land and the homes to the shoreline’s north.

Because of this threat, the road was closed to traffic while residents left their homes or cottages. The dike was repaired and Erie Shore Drive was later reopened.

Since it is an inland dike, Cadeau said the council-accepted recommendation “essentially abandons” property owners along the shore and the road.

“We’ve been fortunate because the water levels are down,” she said. “From a property perspective, things have leveled out since that time. But it has certainly been a long road.”

Having been a property owner on the road since 2005, she said the reality is that residents before her time were dealing with the issue.

“I respect the (council) decision that was made,” she said. “I’m not happy about it. But I respect they have a job to do.”

This story will be updated.