Lake Huron: Advancing Coastal Resilience
Community Based Strategies for a Resilient Future
The Project
Ontario’s West Coast is under stress. The communities across Lake Huron may not be able to combat all of the relevant stressors, including significant impacts from climate change and shifting weather, but we can mitigate some of these stressors and adapt to others – such as, wisely choosing what we build and where. Lake Huron boasts incredible vistas, towering bluffs, sandy beaches, and a natural setting where many of us live, work, or play. The coast is valued by all who have been able to enjoy it, and the communities around us hold many values tied to where land becomes water. Natural hazards and human pressures are gradually altering the character of the Lake Huron coastline, making it apparent that concerted and community-guided effort is needed to ensure that character and that value is not lost for future generations.
In partnership with member municipalities, Zuzek Inc., SJL Engineering, and DHI Group, Maitland Conservation has completed a project that has updated our shoreline hazard mapping and facilitated the voices of the Lake Huron coastal community. The climate change inclusive mapping, and the data collected throughout, furthers the understanding of the shoreline and its processes on a local and provincial scale. It provides an opportunity to consider how the Lake Huron shoreline has been interacted with in the past, and how those interactions can evolve in the future, for a healthier and less hazardous coast.
This ArcGIS StoryMap was developed to share the culmination of what coastal resilience means to both coastal experts and community members through the lens of the PARRARH framework. Put to action, PARRARH is a toolbox used in the development of concepts and alternatives to reduce exposure to coastal stressors, adapt to climate change, and increase the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities. The page also provides our next steps, important project terms, the interactive Shoreline Hazard Mapping, resources, and contact for individuals interested in future involvement.
Southern Lake Huron Littoral-Cell Adaptation Action Plan: 2024-2028
- Utilize funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative, announced September 20th, 2024.
- Formation of the Littoral Cell Technical Committee with community stakeholders.
- Developing criterion for Nature-based Solutions that are integrated throughout the PARRARH framework.
- Expanding community relationships and developing proactive coastal outreach strategies.
- Developing policy changes with member municipalities to implement coastal resilience.
- Setting a provincial standard in coastal planning and regulations for all conservation authorities.
- Development of Southern Lake Huron Littoral-Cell Adaptation Action Plan StoryMap to ensure public access to project information and development.
Important Terms
Littoral Cell - A conceptual shoreline compartment that defines the supply, longshore transport, and deposition of sand and gravel along the coast.
Nature-Based Solutions - Innovative solutions that protect human safety and create coastal habitat and bio-diversity.
Shoreline Hazards - Flooding hazards, Erosion hazards, and Dynamic Beach hazards affecting the Great Lakes shoreline.
Shoreline Hazard Mapping
Shoreline Hazard Mapping
PARRARH: The Resilience Toolbox
PARRARH is a decision-making framework used to develop concepts and alternatives to reduce exposure to coastal hazards, adapt to climate change, and increase the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities.
PARRARH Framework for a Resilient Coastal Future
1. Preserve Natural Coastal Areas 2. Avoid Further Development on Hazardous Lands 3. Retreat From Hazards and Re-Align Land Use 4. Accommodate Coastal Hazards 5. Restore With Nature-Based Coastal Solutions 6. Harden With Engineering Structures
1. Preserve Natural Coastal Areas
The objective of the Preserve strategy is to maintain natural shorelines and geodiversity (natural physical processes such as erosion and sediment transport along the shoreline). Natural shorelines often have natural resilience to erosion and flooding and deliver extensive ecological and social benefits.
2. Avoid Further Development on Hazardous Lands
The goal of the Avoid strategy is to locate future development away from areas of natural or human-made hazards. This reduces the exposure of people and property to natural hazards and associated risks in the future.
3. Retreat from Hazards and Re-align Land Use
The goal of (managed) Retreat is to relocated public or private assets that are exposed to significant risk associated with coastal hazards. The Retreat strategy is considered when other PARRARH strategies are unable to mitigate the risk or cannot be reasonably implemented due to constructability, cost, permitting constraints, or negative environmental impacts
The goal of Re-align is to change land use where public or private assets are exposed to significant risk. It is considered when other PARRAP categories are not sufficient to mitigate the risk or cannot be reasonably implemented due to constructability, cost, permitting constraints, or negative environmental impacts.
Image of live staking shoreline provided by BM Ross
4. Accommodate Coastal Hazards
The Accommodate strategy leverages adaptive approaches to reduce coastal risk and permit continued occupation of communities on hazardous lands.
5. Restore with Nature-Based Coastal Solutions
Restore is focused on safeguarding people, property, and infrastructure from exposure to shoreline hazards through the implementation of nature-based solutions such as beach nourishment or foredune construction.
6. Harden with Engineering Structures
When Strategy #1-#5 are not appropriate to reduce natural hazards, hardening the shoreline with traditional engineering structures, such as armour stone revetments, is pursued.
Our Team
From Left to Right: Pete Zuzek, Professional Geoscientist and founder of Zuzek Inc – Pete has been working with MVCA since 2021 on developing precedent-setting hazard mapping and concepts of coastal resilience. He brings decades of experience from around the Great Lakes and internationally, and has worked with all levels of government in Canada on improving shoreline management. Seth Logan, Coastal Engineer and founder of SJL Engineering – Seth has been working with MVCA since 2021 to establish science-based hazard mapping tools and an understanding of our shoreline’s stresses. He has worked all across the Great Lakes region and with many other CAs, government agencies, industry, and private landowners. Anna Soleski, Professional Geomorphologist - Anna has brought technical expertise as well as passion as MVCA’s Coastal Projects Lead, and to her other roles of Environmental Planner and Regulations Officer. She combines a local Southwestern Ontario upbringing with study across the Great Lakes and internationally. Patrick Huber-Kidby, supports the delivery of these Coastal Projects as Supervisor of Planning and Regulations, and has been involved in four major hazard mapping updates over five years, as well as providing support to the Flood Forecasting and Warning program.
Timeline
Notable Project Dates & Events
- November 17th, 2021 - Board Selection of Proposal
- January 14th, 2022 - Community Liaison Meeting # 1
- June 23rd, 2022 - Community Liaison Meeting # 2
- July 18th, 2022 - Public Information Centre #1
- February 7th, 2023 - Community Liaison Meeting #3
- March 7th, 2023 - Public Information Centre #2
- May 6th, 2023 - Mapping Presented to Ashfield Colborne Lakefront Association
- July 16th, 2023 - Community Values Workshop
- August 15th, 2023 - Alternative Futures Workshop
- October 15th, 2023 - MVCA Board Members Approved Shoreline Hazard Mapping
- November 15th, 2023 - Coastal Resilience Committee Meeting
- November 21st, 2023 - Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Council Meeting
- December 4th, 2023 - Central Huron Council Meeting
- December 18th, 2023 - Goderich Council Meeting
- February 15th, 2024 - Submission of application to ECCC Great Lakes Freshwater Initiative
- September 20th, 2024 - ECCC funding announcement supports project next steps: Southern Lake Huron Littoral-Cell Adaptation Action Plan
Resources
Hardening the shoreline can have negative consequences for neighbouring properties, especially those downdrift.
Coastal Resilience Presentation
Linked below is a presentation provided by Zuzek Inc. and SJL Engineering at the Alternative Futures workshop in August 2023. The presentation gives an overview of coastal resiliency, the newly completed vulnerability assessment, and introduces the PARRARH (at the time, developed as PARRAP) framework. Following the presentation, workshop attendees participated in discussion groups to consider the viability of PARRARH approaches in their community.
Contact
Any questions, concerns, or need to connect with the team? Please contact:
Elizabeth Huber-Kidby, Outreach Technician
Email: outreachtech@mvca.on.ca
Phone: 519-335-3557 ext. 230
Please note that this page will be continuously updated to ensure public access to Maitland Conservation's on-going shoreline efforts and initiatives.
This work was made possible by the support of:
Our Member Municipalities
Supporting Government Agencies
