Caldwell First Nation, Leamington and ERCA to fix unstable Hillman Marsh dyke [Video]

Caldwell First Nation, Leamington and the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) have formed a partnership to spend $15 million in shoreline protections at the Hillman Marsh dyke through Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF).

“Without urgent upgrades, the entire area is vulnerable,” said Douglas Heil, a councillor with the Caldwell First Nation. “That includes the farmlands, our new development that we just started down the road here and Point Pelee National Park.”

The dyke, at the end of Mersea Road 1 in Leamington, is unstable and needs to be rehabilitated to keep Lake Erie water in the Hillman Marsh.

Tim Byrne, CEO of the ERCA, said it’s currently built 15 feet into the ground and is made up of small rocks.

“The dyke in itself has to be fortified. It has to incorporate larger rock,” said Byrne. “We’re also going to incorporate some life science features in the form …