Study looks into changing lake levels, shoreline

Preliminary findings from the North Shore Resilience Study were released at a public open house in Port Rowan in March.

Jeff Helsdon

Grant Haven Media

Anyone who has spent much time at Lake Erie will notice huge changes in the lake shoreline.

This isn’t about fluctuations over decades, but those that have occurred in just five years. Record-high water levels were observed in 2019-20, along with shrinking beaches and increased erosion. Now, just five years later, it’s a different situation with the lake levels dropping to below long-term averages.

When water levels were high, the federal government took note of the impacts across the Great Lakes and released funds through the Canada Water Agency to look at the problem. Impacts can be seen along the entire Erie shoreline, but they are magnified at Long Point, one of the longest sand spits in the world.

Seeing the changes, the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation applied for funding, and the North Shore Resilience Project launched in 2024. It is a partnership of many government and non-government agencies in the study area.

“All of us who live here… can see the impacts during high water years, and with the flooding that impacts the community,” said Sarah Emons, project manager and conservation director with the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation.

Since 1951, 600 acres of habitat have been lost in the Long Point area between Cove Road and the causeway. Erosion has increased between Long Point Provincial Park and the tip, raising concerns about the future of the point, affecting about 6,000 hectares, or 10 per cent of the point.

On a larger scale, the loss of coastal wetlands is amplified because the majority of Lake Erie’s coastal wetlands are in Long Point. The uniqueness of this feature has made it one of the most important spots for migrating waterfowl in eastern North America.

Coastal geoscientist Pete Zuzek of Zuzek Inc. is heading up the study and was in attendance at a series of recent open houses across the study area of Port Glasgow to Long Point. Going into year two, most of the technical work is complete.

“That technical work has been focused on understanding the sediment movement along the coastline,” he said. 

Port Glasgow was chosen as the starting point as it’s a convergence point for Lake Erie’s sediment flow – some of the sand goes east from there, some west. Zuzek described the shoreline between Glasgow and Long Point as one of the most complex freshwater sediment transportation systems in the world. It has the highest bluff erosion rates in the Great Lakes and more than four million cubic-meters of sediment enter the shallow waters of the area – called a littoral cell – each year. Of that total, one-quarter is moved towards Long Point.

Processes along the cell have changed, with the most notable differences being seen at Long Point itself. Zuzek explained that one of the purposes of the project is to understand why this is happening. 

Erosion of the bluffs is a natural process, but the rate of erosion and the way sand is deposited have changed. It’s also natural that sediments are deposited in harbours at Port Stanley, Port Bruce, Port Burwell, and the tip of Long Point.

One of the surprise findings, so far, is that the actual width of the Long Point sandspit is eroding. However, the sand is deposited at the tip of the spit, in the deepest water of the lake, and the spit is slowly growing in length.

One area of concern is the Thoroughfare Unit in Long Point National Wildlife Area. This area, between Long Point Provincial Park and Long Point Company land, is narrow and vulnerable to storms.

Zuzek said part of the issue is that when the shoreline moves back in high water, the beaches move back as well. Although beach is regained when the water levels drop, it isn’t the same.

“For the beaches to be stable and grow, it requires a lot more sand than when it started,” he explained. “We’re still piecing this together as to the relative importance of it all.”

With climate change and more ice-free winters, the lake is open for longer periods, making it more susceptible to erosion during the winter months. This is also a time when winds are generally higher.

“That’s one of the things that is a factor today, but will be a big factor in the future,” Zuzek said.

Another major deposit area is in Port Burwell Provincial Park to the west of the pier. 

Is this a historical process?

In the relatively short time of recorded history, it’s known that Long Point has been breached between the Inner Bay and Lake Erie several times. Two of these breaches in the 1800s created cuts, which were vital shortcuts for naval navigation. What nature created, however, it took away when lake levels dropped.

This was the origin of the Old Cut, and the reason the Old Cut lighthouse is landlocked today. The lake beach was again breached during the most recent spell of high water in the area near where Big Creek National Wildlife Area and Lee Brown Marsh meet the lake.

Emons explained that when water levels are high, and the barrier beach is breached, it hurts the wetlands.

“These barrier beaches are an important barricade during storms,” she said. Although the barrier beaches reform further back from the lake, the wetlands behind them are lost – something Emons said is not always visible from the ground.

Another difference from historical processes, even from a century ago, is now human-built infrastructure can be impacted by high water. 

Zuzek said the study doesn’t have all the answers to why Long Point is eroding, but the science is pointing towards a series of factors. He is now looking at the importance of each.

“We’re not in a position to draw major conclusions yet, but we will be soon,” he said.

SOLUTIONS

While the technical work is still not complete, possible strategies have been developed. These include:

Developing strategies to move the sediment past the harbours and restore the natural sand flow along the coast.

Evaluate opportunities for nourishing beaches with new sources of sand.

Assist landowners with understanding erosion threats and risks

Complete additional controlled beach access pathways 

When harbours are dredged, deposit the sand on beaches. 

One early experiment was planting native beach grass at Port Burwell, Port Bruce, and Long Point’s Thoroughfare Unit to stabilize the sand dunes.

Solutions will be further evaluated if the project moves into Phase 2, which will require additional funding.