Caldwell First Nation, Leamington and ERCA to fix ‘unstable’ Hillman Marsh dyke

Caldwell First Nation, Leamington and the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) have formed a partnership to spend $15 million in shoreline protections at the Hillman Marsh dyke through Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF).

“Without urgent upgrades, the entire area is vulnerable,” said Douglas Heil, a councillor with the Caldwell First Nation. “That includes the farmlands, our new development that we just started down the road here and Point Pelee National Park.”

The dyke, at the end of Mersea Road 1 in Leamington, is unstable and needs to be rehabilitated to keep Lake Erie water in the Hillman Marsh.

Tim Byrne, CEO of the ERCA, said it’s currently built 15 feet into the ground and is made up of small rocks.

“The dyke in itself has to be fortified. It has to incorporate larger rock,” said Byrne. “We're also going to incorporate some life science features in the form of root wads and waddling bundles (sic) on the dyke, which are found to be more sustainable in the long term.”

Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen (left) is joined by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmiercyzk and officials with Caldwell First Nation in Leamington, Ont. on Wednesday August 28, to announced DMAF funding to fix Hillman Marsh. (Michelle Maluske/CTV Windsor)

Byrne said they also intend to add some additional clay and make the berm taller to protect the land to the south from wave surges.

The group has already started the paperwork to begin construction, but officials would not say when the work would begin.

Caldwell First Nation, the Municipality of Leamington and the Essex Region Conservation Authority celebrate on Wednesday August 28, 2024, the announcement of $15 million dollars in funding to fix the Hillman Marsh. (Michelle Maluske/CTV Windsor)

“Today, we're here to serve the ancestors and the future generations by coming together to address this important project,” said Caldwell First Nation Chief, Mary Duckworth.

Caldwell First Nation owns some of the farmland to the southeast of Hillman Marsh dyke.