By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Erieau residents worried erosion will erase Rondeau Bay’s so-called “barrier beach” are calling on upper levels of government for help.
But there’s a hitch. Three quarters of the two-kilometre sandspit falls under the jurisdiction of Rondeau Provincial Park, with the remaining quarter to the west under the federal government’s domain.
“We need to do a project but we need both parties coming together,” said Mark Peacock, CAO of the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority. “Everybody has to agree. We (the LTVCA) are like the middleman working with both ministries.”
The sandy barrier, which in the distant past connected Rondeau Provincial Park to Erieau, has been worn away over time by Lake Erie wave action. There is already a break in the barrier that protects Rondeau Bay from the lake’s ceaseless pounding.
According to Peacock a committee has been formed to address concerns about preserving the barrier, and a grant application to address the problem was submitted to the federal Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. It wasn’t approved.
Peacock said much of the problem associated with the erosion of barrier beach is man-made, noting the pier at Erieau prevents sand from naturally moving east to build up the barrier.
Jeff Vidler, a former harbourmaster at Erieau and a director with the Erieau Community Association (ECA) said residents are concerned about preserving the integrity of the bay, including the protection of hundreds of acres of critical wetlands.
“We’re hoping eventually something can be done,” Vidler said, noting the group continues to work with the LTVCA. “We’ll keep trying.”
Vidler said the ECA has reached out to local politicians and Chatham-Kent–Leamington MP Dave Epp has agreed to help form a working group to push for improvements to the barrier.
Vidler, who lives on the bay side at Erieau, said that while the erosion has been going on for decades, increasingly fierce storms on Lake Erie pose an added threat to farmland, homes and species-at-risk.
“At the end of the day, storms sometimes produce waves that are five or six feet high,” he added. “The flooding could lead to a loss of valuable land and property.”
Recently, the federal government announced funding to protect Essex County’s Hillman Marsh near Leamington. A total of $15 million has been granted to the Caldwell First Nation to strengthen a dike that protects hundreds of acres of farmland and development. The Caldwells will work with the Town of Leamington and the Essex Region Conservation Authority to complete the work.
Vidler hopes Rondeau’s barrier beach will get similar attention.
So does Peacock.
“We’re glad the Caldwell First Nation got the money,” Peacock said, adding that working with Indigenous communities to address environmental concerns is key.
