Lower water levels have helped ease the number of emergency shoreline repairs needed in Sarnia, the city’s general manager of engineering and operations says.
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“In the last two years, we’ve had very minimal emergency repair work,” said David Jackson.
That’s also after years of investing millions of dollars in repairs amid higher water levelswhen Lake Huron waves penetrated decades-old and failing steel-wall protections.
Improvements, including armor stone coating work over the years — mostly in the Bright’s Grove area — has helped protect “the most vulnerable areas,” although challenging spots remain, Jackson said.
“We want to continue with (improvements), so we’re ready for the next time when water levels do come back up,” he said.
Sarnia has $2.3 million budgeted for more shoreline protection work in 2025, though where that will be invested hasn’t been determined, Jackson said.
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A couple of groynes, likely steel, will be built, as part of ongoing efforts to rebuild beach, he said.
“We’re kind of exploring a few spots right now and then we’ll advance. . . ones that fit within the budget,” he said.
Two steel groynes, two sets of stairs to the waterfront, and about 300 meters of armor stone coating were built earlier in 2024, between Kenwick Street and Penhuron Drive, he said, noting that $4-million expense was about 40 per cent covered by federal funding via the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.
About $5 million the conservation authority received in federal disaster mitigation and adaptation funding years ago for Sarnia projects has been essentially used up, Jackson said.
Also in the queue for 2025 is detailed design work for an estimated $15-million pathway and shoreline protection project along a 775-meter stretch of Bright’s Grove shoreline, between Mike Weir Park and the Cull Drain, he said.
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“Then we’d look for possible construction in 2026,” Jackson said.
Other ongoing shoreline work, but along the St. Clair River, includes a $600,000 cleanup at Ferry Dock Hill, he said, where a likely century-old building overlooking the water and deemed at risk of collapse was demolished in 2020.
Van Bree Drainage and Bulldozing started in early December cleaning up the eyesore and preparing to backfill and guard with armor-stone revetment a leftover waterfront cove, Jackson said, noting that work should be completed by the end of January.
There’s no money in the 2025 budget for an estimated — in city draft budget documents — $6.6-million plan, designed earlier this yearto upgrade the area with walking and cycling paths, plazas, platforms, seating, new grading, and a water feature.
Further design work on other aspects in the city’s $55-million, 15-year waterfront master planendorsed by city council in early 2022, will likely wait until the Ferry Dock Hill project moves forward, Jackson said.
Council is expected to consider it again in a year’s time, during 2026 budget deliberations.
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