Mother Nature responded less than 24 hours following a public meeting to discuss plans for a detailed study into challenges facing the Lake Erie shoreline in Chatham-Kent.
High winds caused localized flooding along the Rondeau Bay side of Erieau and along Erie Shore Drive April 18.
A day earlier, the public crammed into the Erieau Fire Hall to learn about the study.
Experts in shoreline hazards, meteorology, climate change, coastal engineering design, and adaptation planning are undertaking the study for the Lake Erie shoreline from Wheatley to Clear Creek (the Lake Erie municipal boundary of Chatham-Kent).
Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Platform, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, and the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Area are co-funding the study.
The study will include two components:
- The research portion of the work will model the influence of climate change on future ice cover conditions on Lake Erie and changes to severe coastal storms and waves. Future storm surge and wave exposure will be compared with the current threats to the shoreline communities, infrastructure, natural areas, and beaches.
This work will be completed by the end of April.
- Following that work, there will be community consultation throughout 2019 to evaluate existing shoreline challenges and emerging threats due to climate change, such as at-risk road infrastructure, flooded communities, threatened buildings due to shoreline erosion, and beach erosion and sedimentation at the navigation channel to Rondeau Bay.
The aim is for co-creation of solutions to these challenges and long-term climate change adaptations for the hazards impacting the shoreline.
For more information, visit www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca or e-mail ckshorelinestudy@chatham-kent.ca.
