The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is updating its Shoreline Management Plan.
Supervisor of Water and Planning Geoff Cade says it's been fifteen years since it was last updated, and the fact that the water level in Lake Huron is rising makes it more important than ever.
Cade points out that banks and bluffs can appear stable for four or five years, and then suddenly ten feet of the bluff disappears. Their concern is for buildings that once had a sizeable setback from the bank but are now in danger of falling over the edge.
The ABCA's Shoreline Management Plan tries to predict where erosion will be over a 100-year period and how that will affect buildings along the shoreline. They expect to have a preliminary report near the end of April.
Cade points out that the efforts of one person to protect the shoreline in front of their property will only pass the problem onto their neighbours. Any remedial work has to be on a shoreline basis to be effective.
There are some things property owners can do to reduce the impact of erosion; Cade says leave vegetation on the top of the bluffs; trees can be very effective in holding the soil in place because of the size of their roots; and direct drainage away from the bluffs wherever possible.
