Re: PCBA Petition For Action

Further to my September 15 letter to you, I understand that you have forwarded a copy to the Township for their consideration in conjunction with the petition signatures. For the benefit of those who have not visited the shoreline since then I would like to record some additional information, comments and opinions for your consideration and comments.

In the short term, I hope the consultants are continuing to photograph the beaches and monitor the water and lakebed in the late fall and early spring because Mother Nature has already taken care of a significant amount of the “sludge/scum” problem. Despite less than usual occasional summer storms, but with cooler weather and the return of the prevailing northwesterly winds, the beaches and lakebed north of the lighthouse are clean and most of the beaches south of the lighthouse are now substantially cleaner. Taxpayers should be careful in their requests of the Township, which has many miles of shoreline (about 10? over 50,000 feet?). The “sludge” was very wide offshore and was several inches thick. Since there are 6.2321 gallons in each cubic foot, there were many millions of gallons of “sludge”, a huge expense for taxpayers to shoulder, even if it could be disposed of by pumping & trucking away (to return through contamination?), by chemically treating it, or by whatever other impractical solution. Nature provided abundant rain recently (about three times the average?). Average snow precipitation this winter will mean less evaporation and higher lake levels. According to the attached lake level records the lake has been below average for the last six years and close to its record low for the last two hot summers. A modest increase in the lake level of about 12 inches plus average summer temperatures & storms will solve the “sludge” problem. When you have watched the lake continuously for over 65 years you learn to be patient and optimistic with Mother Nature (ask the centenarian petitioner?) during lower than average lake water levels, which occur only one-third of the time.

During average lake water levels, also about one-third of the time, everyone is happy as recorded in the photos in your calendar, including the two photos mentioned in my September 15 letter.

In the long term, the lake water level is higher than average also about one third of the time and if your property is on the lakefront where significant erosion can occur, such as the road washout shown in Saugeen Township (see the attached “Saugeen Shore Watch”), and you learn to prepare for the other side of the coin. The1985 storm damages experienced on Lake Huron in the Bayfield/ Goderich/Kincardine area and minor flooding along the north shore of Lake St. Clair were estimated at $11 to $12 millions. The township, county and province do not budget or finance shoreline erosion control. Lakefront property owners south of the lighthouse were forced to install Armour Walls (breakwaters) for more than half of a mile, a huge investment since armour walls can cost more than $500.00 per metre depending on design. Annual maintenance is an additional cost due to the boulders and stones being dislodged from these armour walls, mainly by winter ice, but occasionally by a few unobservant, thoughtless, or inconsiderate people.

There are no significant groynes north of the lighthouse. Most (if not all) of the remainder of the groynes formed in previous low water periods are no longer connected to the beach and are now essentially islands that help to reduce erosion during both average and high water levels. In my opinion they do not increase the amount of stagnation between the several natural points (natural groynes) south of the lighthouse. Note that I do not know any long-term cottagers south of the lighthouse that have ever seen the “scum/sludge” blown north around the light house point because winds from the south are usually weak and of short duration. I doubt that there will ever be any true groynes constructed along our shoreline. For the curious persons, extensive detailed information on groyne design, construction, length, spacing etc is available on-line at: http//www.channelcoast.org/programme_design/defense_type/?link…

http//www.snh.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/eros…

Regarding the recently new phragmites reeds, I think the increasing lake water levels will erase most of them. One exception is where the mouth of Jardine Creek was relocated over 200 feet northward by bulldozing into the creek the beach & Top of the Bank of Lake Huron (including the Original Shore Road Allowance 66 feet wide) and sloping it up to the top of the east bank of Jardine Creek in Block 4 (see beach & dunes 1971 location in January 2007 calendar photo). This location seems like an excellent candidate for consideration for beach restoration at the end of the public walkway from Huron Road (opposite Attawandarin Street), with a pedestrian bridge at the walkway across the restored natural creek mouth location to the beach. This is also the only way to resolve the stagnation in Jardine Creek because the lake levels would again flush the creek naturally regardless of either changing lake levels or storms, which now plug the current artificial mouth relocation. There may be funds available for the improvement and restoration of fish habitat.

I welcome any comments on my additional information and opinions.

Sincerely,

Don MacNay

RR1 Kincardine, ON N2Z 2X3

C.c.: Dave Hyman

Geoff Peach (Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation)

B.M.Ross & Associates

Attached: Canadian Hydrographic Service Water Levels comments

The Coastal Centre Water Levels comment

Saugeen Valley Conservation Area (Road washout at Saugeen Twp.)