The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation has expressed its opposition to a plan that the Town of South Bruce Peninsula is proposing to remove a large section of the dunes at Sauble Beach.
Lake Huron Centre Executive Director, Erinn Lawrie, says the town is looking at removing some of the dunes, west of Lakeshore Boulevard.
“They're looking at removing some of the dune to widen the parking area and they want to install a concrete retaining wall, which would be between the dune and the parking. So we were very concerned about the repercussions that may come from this type of work,” said Lawrie. “Doing this type of damage to the dune system could compromise the dune's natural ability to help reduce flooding and erosion and that could put the properties that are on the other side of road, along the lakeshore, at risk.”
Damaging to the dune system could also accelerate the loss of sand from the area as well as increasing wind erosion. And there are concerns about destroying critical habitat for the endangered Piping Plover shore bird.
Lawrie says a number of people and groups have expressed concerns about the plan and at this point, she understands it has been put on hold until the spring.
