Save our Shoreline

Wellington United Church launches fundraising campaign to repair eroding shoreline

Another windy day in Wellington brings Lake Ontario’s waves crashing into the already beaten up shoreline. “We’ve already lost over 20 feet,” says Reverend Steve Spicer as he looks at the lake from his office window located on the second level of the Wellington United Church. “And we are hearing that water levels could be higher next spring.”

It’s a common scene for waterfront owners not only in the village, but across much of southern Ontario. Lake Ontario’s high water levels have wreaked havoc on shorelines, both natural and manmade. For the Wellington United Church, the situation is dire. The waterfront at the back of the church has been slowly swallowed by the big lake’s swells. Each wave that hits the breakwall at Wellington Park rides east, gaining momentum and ultimately scooping out the earth from underneath the church lawn. So much land has been lost, that the Sacred Circle—a memorial for the late Sandy Rutherford—is mere feet from the water’s edge.

Spicer explains that the church has been weighing its options. “We had three options. We could do nothing, we could wait and see what happens or we could fix the issue. We also have a neighbourly responsibility, because failure to do anything about our property will in fact cause further erosion of our neighbours to the east and west.” He explains how the church’s shoreline is set further back, bordered by two man-made, concrete walls to the east and west. The church has lost so much shoreline that there is concern the water might start to creep behind the neighbouring walls, causing even more damage— and with damage, comes the risk of litigation.

The church shoreline will start to be repaired in early December. Working closely with Quinte Conservation, the church has spent close to $10,000 on an engineer’s drawing to formalize a solution. “We are going for an armour stone plan to try and dispell the power of the waves and have less effect on our neighbours,” says Spicer. “We are also hoping to work with Quinte Conservation and be a demonstration site.” Quinte Conservation will plant trees, shrubs and soil-retaining plants in a bid to keep further erosion from happening. Spicer is hopeful that the lost waterfront land can be regained, but he admits it all comes down to cost. “We have had two offers from people in the community for fill if we go farther out. We are able to go farther out, but it is a matter of cost, and ensuring the proper fill is used,” says Spicer.

Wellington residents Jim Law and Peter Sztuke have stepped forward to help with the engineering plans. Law explains that the goal is to implement a long-term solution. “We are planning on this being a permanent fix. We have hired an engineering firm from Kingston to ensure as much as possible that what we do here is for the long-term,” says Law. He also hopes that by using the armour stone product instead of a solid wall, and using rounded edges with a 45-degree angle, the rhythm of the wave curl will break, removing its inertia which will in turn minimize further destruction, not only for the church property, but for neighbouring properties. “What we are attempting to do is work with both parties to ensure where our 45-degree rock wall will slope around to the outer edges for future protection and cause wave action to curl and break instead of tearing into the bordering properties.”

The initial quotes for the work rings in at $110,000. A large hit to the church’s pocketbook. The church has secured $80,000 in repayable loans from the United Church of Canada, but it’s still not enough, bringing the need for a fundraising campaign—Save our Shoreline (SOS). Through a series of raffles and future concert series, along with the help of local service groups who use the church, there is hope to fundraise enough money to pay for the site restoration. Spicer also hopes the public will get behind the cause, explaining that the church wants to make sure the space remains available for public use. “We are trying not to prohibit people from using the lawn. It gets used all the time as community space. We’ve been given this beautiful piece of property and the last thing we want to do is say ‘sorry folks, we have to shut it down’.”

Anxiety has been increasing from waterfront owners in the County about what next spring might bring. Last week, the Ontario government advocated to increase its representation on the International Joint Commission (IJC). With the support of MPP Todd Smith, Premier Doug Ford has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to urge the federal government to act immediately to appoint an IJC Commissioner from the Bay of Quinte region.

Ford noted flooding has caused extensive damage to public and private property and severely impacted businesses that support the region’s vital tourism economy. He indicated the cost to municipalities, private landowners and businesses in the region will reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. “The people living and working on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence fear the future of their homes and businesses hang in the balance as decisions are made by the IJC over the coming weeks and months,” said Ford. “It is imperative that the voices of those communities most impacted by the decisions made by the IJC are represented at the table.”

To learn more about the project, or to donate to SOS, contact Reverend Steve Spicer at ministerwuc@gmail.com. Cheques can be made payable to Wellington United Church, with Save our Shoreline as a memo.