Help could be on the way for Hillman Marsh
Conservationist Wayne King had tears in his eyes Thursday when professional geo-scientist Pete Zuzek made him aware funding could be on the way to help resolve the erosion of Hillman Marsh.
“It's exciting for me,” said the Leamington local, who used to swim in the marsh as a kid. “I've been working on this for a lot of years. To hear there's possibly something in the pipeline — it was exceptionally good news.”
Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) CAO Tim Byrne says the government has been listening.
“There has been funding that we've been made aware of that could be coming forward,” he said.
A welcomed development after King, a member of the Leamington Shoreline Association, sounded the alarm earlier this week over a decimated Hillman Marsh. He shared pictures of dead fish along the shoreline which he says resulted from a combination of low water levels and the severe weather event before Christmas.
“We've been fighting against high water thinking lower water wouldn't be a problem, it would be good for us but it turned out to be bad,” he said.
The barrier beach that once protected the marsh was destroyed by high lake levels and high winds.
“That was a treeline that was probably 75 feet wide, very heavily treed,” said King, pointing to what used to be a barrier on the east side of the marsh which has effectively turned the marsh into a bay of Lake Erie.
King worries about the lake levels rising further causing erosion and a breach on the south side of the marsh.
“Leaving this berm over here now exposed to the wave action,” said King, pointing to a berm he says protects about 7,500 acres of farm land and roughly 500 homes and businesses. The berm is about a hundred feet wide.
Zuzek first visited south east Leamington 25 years ago. He says the barrier beach system and the marsh eco-system are past the tipping point.
“They’re at a point where there is no returning back to a positive state without significant human intervention,” he said.
Zuzek applauds the resiliency of King, ERCA and the Municipality of Leamington.
“The efforts by everyone to pursue a long-term solution is absolutely critical to maintaining Hillman Marsh and to shore up the dyke infrastructure that protects the farm land below lake level,” he said.
Byrne says ERCA and the Municipality of Leamington have been asked to resubmit a proposal making a request for $18 million through the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation fund (DMAF) to help remediate the area. The fund is part of a 10-year national program that will see $2 billion invested in projects that help communities better withstand natural hazards.
“Hopefully we'll be granted those moneys that ourselves and the municipality of Leamington can undertake this work to protect that eco-system, that wetland and help protect residents of south east Leamington,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.