Shoreline Work to Proceed in Spite of Protests

At the August AGM, a petition was presented which basically called for a cessation on any further shoreline work. It should be noted that all of those who signed the petition do not have property in the worse affected areas of shoreline.

A representative from Northern Municipal Affairs was in attendance and basically said that the government owned the shoreline and it didn't matter how the cabin owners voted on any shoreline alterations. So the shoreline work will proceed as originally planned and tenders will be sent out this fall. Most of the work will be payed for by the government out of the Northern Trust Account.

Fishing Lake WANTS Their Berms

"Still Waiting for Paradise at Fishing Lake" (The Leader-Post, July 15, 2008 )

by Janet French (Saskatchewan News network)

...Residents of each community dotting the lake edge [of Fishing Lake] had to debate amongst themselves whether to build the not-so-pretty two-metre high berms on the edge of their picturesque lake. Their creation cost the province $15 million according to the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

...at one time, there may have been long stretches of beach between the lake and the houses...where a sandy beach once lay, a 15 metre wide berm of clay, pebbles and dirt now buffers the residents from the water at Ottoman beach...

Most communities around the lake opted to build the structures [berms]...It doesn't matter [to residents who] love the berm, which to them means "safety". Some residents are worried because when the Saskatchewan government built the berms, it got permission from Fisheries and Oceans Canada for temporary berms, to be removed by October 2009, said Wayne Dybvig, vice-president of operations with the watershed authority. An estimated 40 per cent of the berms are in fish habitat, he said. The province is now in the midst of applying to the federal government to have the berms declared a permanent fixture [to protect the cabins].

Shoreline Progress Report

Gene Froc and Ev Schultz have been working tirelessly to complete the shoreline project. Here is a report of the progress to date.

Phase 1 of the berm (rock structure) design is arresting the aggressive shoreline erosion that has been occurring over the last few years. It has prevented any further loss of the bank in the middle of the beach, and has protected the new path and remaining trees.

Phase 2 of the berm design was drafted last fall and accepted by Oceans and Fisheries. It proposes to cover the rest of the bank and this phase will complete the whole project. In response to beach access concerns, alterations to Phase 2 of the design allowing for access to the water were redrafted and accepted by Oceans and Fisheries. These access points will be located at the public access corridors and will be rock free so that people can easily get to the water without having to walk the long way around. Diagrams will be posted on the fire hall for your examination prior to the AGM.

Two proposals for Phase 2 of the shoreline alteration contract were submitted, but both were over budget. Therefore, due to the lack of funding, Colleen Digness, Manager of Northern Municipal Services, would not allow the work of Phase 2 to proceed this last winter. She did indicate that she would try to find a cheaper source of rock for the project. To date, this has not yet happened.

After this situation and much to our surprise, all proposals for the grants submitted by Ev Schultz and Gene Froc were eventually accepted and funding granted:Shell Canada Environmental FundSaskatchewan Wildlife FederationEco Action Community Fund (Environment Canada)Flood Proofing Infrastructure Grant (Northern Municipal Services of Saskatchewan)

We anticipate that we now have sufficient funds to complete the entire project. A one year extension was obtained from the funding organizations which would allow Phase 2 to be completed during the winter of 2009 and may allow for some landscaping work with sand and gravel to make the berm more aesthetically pleasing. If we do not complete the work this year for the plans as outlined in the grants, the funding will be lost.

However, some people at East Trout Lake do not seem to want the shoreline berm project to go ahead to completion. In fact, there are some who are intent on stopping it. There is a complaint afoot that most of the beach will be lost to the berm and they are not supporting phase two of the project even with many revisions to the design to allow quick access to the lake and beach.

Explanation of the Design

Contrary to what some people have been saying, you will note that there is no mistake in the design as already completed in Phase 1. Oceans & Fisheries approved the rocks going into the water and this detail is clearly shown on the Phase 2 drawings which Oceans and Fisheries have also approved. If they did not want the rocks going into the water, they would not have approved both Phase 1 and 2 design drawings.

Darcy Lightle, Sr. Biologist for Oceans and Fisheries was called about this detail for the Phase 1 of the project and he was O.K. with it. His intent on limited rock placement in the water was to minimize rocks going too far out into the lake due to concerns about loss of fish habitat. However, he said that if the extension was required for engineering purposes, then they would allow it. Also, he agreed that the rock extension into the water once covered an area occupied by sand and as a result, there would be no net loss of fish habitat. Darcy's last comments were that he was very impressed with the design and would be considering it for application elsewhere in the province.

The main engineering reason for having the rocks extending out into the water is to prevent them from being undermined by the wave action brought on by high winds. If the rocks were placed above the waterline against the slope, the sand at the base of the rocks would be pulled out from underneath and washed away. In the meantime, this undercutting action would cause instability in the rock structure and the rocks would eventually tumble into the lake in an irregular and uncontrolled pattern. This would create a mess and falling rocks would be potentially dangerous to anyone down below. Another reason for placing the rocks as low as possible away from the slope is so that the ice would ride overtop during spring breakup. If the rocks were to be placed higher against the slope, the ice would have a better chance at dislodging them.

The new design has three openings without rocks which will allow families to access the lake directly from the public access corridors at the top of the bank. Some cabin owners have voiced concerns that there would be no beach left upon completion of Phase 2, but in times of high water levels there was no beach at all anyway. The design of the berm does have a flat area that allows for some beach activities and this area will never be washed away.

Shoreline Work Put on Hold

Unfortunately the shoreline work was not completed this winter as the committee ran into a few snags with the bids going over budget. As a result, we had to go back to the drawing board. Additionally, the committee chair Ev Shultz was unwell over the winter. Gene Froc has now taken over the committee chair and the work is continuing as planned.

Success

A happy ending to this story that succeeded due to the persistence of Ev Shultz and her Shoreline Committee at East Trout Lake. It was nothing short of a miracle the way the grant money from Shell Canada, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Eco Action Canada and the rest contributed by the conservative provincial government via the Northern Revenue Sharing Trust. It is anticipated that rest of the work will be completed this winter once bids for the work are reviewed and the contractor is selected. Just goes to show you the power of political pressure and whon knows, maybe even the power of blogs!