An estimated 700 structures stretching from Point Clark, Ont. to north of Bayfield, Ont. are in an Erosion Hazard Zone.
That means, according to the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), it is expected the ground beneath those homes will give way.
That could happen tomorrow, or it could happen years from now, but they forecast that it will happen.
Record setting lake levels have accelerated erosion at the “toe” or bottom of the 30 metre bluffs that span large parts of the Lake Huron shore.
From the last fall to this spring, Steve Jackson with the MVCA says certain areas at the bottom of the bluff have eroded 10 metres horizontally.
He says that eventually we’re going to see that 10 metres of erosion at the top of the bluff, where hundreds of homes currently sit.
A wet spring has increased the likelihood of a “bluff failure” somewhere along the shoreline as early as this year.
This is a Great Lakes problem as well, facing shoreline property owners from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan.
