STORM CAUSES DAMAGE TO BEACHES

BAY AND NICKEL BEACHES HAD UNDERGONE NATURE-BASED RESTORATION EFFORTS; NIAGARA COASTAL STAFF SURVEY DAMAGE

A winter storm that saw 90-km/h winds over 10 hours and Lake Erie rise more than two metres in seven hours caused the worst damage seen along the north shoreline in the past five years, says Niagara Coastal executive director Gregary Ford.

The storm, dubbed "Elliott" and called "generational" by Environment and Climate Change Canada, started on Dec. 23 and lasted for three days, impacting the shoreline of Wainfleet, Port Colborne and Fort Erie.

All three communities issued states of emergency as blowing snow caused whiteouts and vehicles to get stuck on highways and municipal streets. Niagara Region also issued a state of emergency.

Waves and the rising water levels scoured dunes at Wainfleet's Reebs Bay and Port Colborne's Nickel and Pleasant beaches.

Despite the damage, Ford said there were some indicators of hope that Niagara Coastal — an organization that works with local stakeholders on three ecological priorities: nature-based shorelines, healthy beaches, and habitat and species — hasn't seen after previous storms.

"Fort Erie's Bay Beach survived and is a good example to draw from," he said.

Last October, Niagara Coastal and representatives from Niagara College, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Town of Fort Erie and residents teamed up for a coastal day of action at the beach off Erie Road in Crystal Beach.

The groups planted beach grass to re-establish a juvenile dune, providing a natural land barrier between the beach and local infrastructure.

Ford said Lake Erie is unpredictable at the best of times and that planning and setbacks can help protect cottages and houses along the shoreline as storms get worse.

The agency said traditional shoreline protection such as stone armouring and breakwalls have proved ineffective as longterm solutions against severe and frequent storm events.

"Great Lakes coastal dunes are a uniquely resilient ecosystem that can withstand many of the impacts we are experiencing," the agency said.

But it said nature-based shorelines take years to reestablish and become a functioning construct within the greater ecosystem, adding restoration efforts are showing promise as dunes are being restored.

"Nature-based solutions are effective and lowcost as we work with partners, volunteers and dedicated community members," said Ford.

McCutcheon and Tessa Anderson, coastal stewardship co-ordinator, checked on restoration sites to assess the impact of Elliott two weeks after the storm.

The pair found ice formations on the shoreline, along with debris and trash. They also observed mature trees were splintered and uprooted and scattered on top of houses, hydro wires and roads.

A four-month-old coastal dune along a 600-metre stretch at Nickel Beach lacked the native vegetation necessary to stabilize it and provide a buffer during the storm, the agency said.

It said based on previously successful projects, it expected sand accumulation to continue through the winter, and there were plans to populate the area with native plants this spring.

Dunes along the public beach were scoured by the storm. Previously stormdamaged dunes at Pleasant Beach saw more erosion.

Ford said Niagara Coastal had been working with City of Port Colborne, the college, NPCA and Vale, which owns Nickel Beach, on the dune project. The agency will continue to work with the city and be part of an advisory committee to maintain Nickel Beach.

In Wainfleet, McCutcheon and Anderson found extensive damage at Reebs Bay, on Lakeshore Road at the end of Quarry Road, where the beach is roughly 17 metres wide and dunes climb to meet the road, providing almost no buffer or protection to infrastructure.

Damage included uprooted mature trees and sloping dunes eroded into vertical bluffs. An accessibility boardwalk at the east end of the public beach needs rebuilding following the storm.