Old Lakeshore Road at Bright's Grove. November 1, 2019. (BlackburnNews.com photo by Colin Gowdy)Old Lakeshore Road at Bright's Grove. November 1, 2019. (BlackburnNews.com photo by Colin Gowdy)
Sarnia

Mayor urges 'realistic' discussion about shoreline

Sarnia's mayor agrees that council needs to have a "realistic" discussion about shoreline issues.

Mike Bradley estimates tens of millions of dollars have been spent by the city and former township over the years on erosion control.

"If you were to take a map of the shoreline in Bright's Grove, for example, back in 1973 and [compare it to] today, a lot of it has disappeared," said Bradley. "You have to make some decisions about strategically how much money do you want to put into shoreline erosion and we are -- we're doing it right now as I speak -- however, in the long term, we need a plan."

Bradley wants to hear from experts about the value of continuously fighting back.

"If you go back, there's been remedial actions over the years, with groynes and other efforts made, and over time they start to fade and we have issues we face this year. Next year's water levels, according to the American corp of engineers, are going to be higher than this year's. So the problem continues."

Councillor Nathan Colquhoun has served notice of motion asking that committee-of-the-whole discuss the issue.

He hopes a plan can be developed with staff and the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority outlining priorities for either saving shoreline property or letting nature take its course.

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