Great Lakes Shoreline Research Articles

The utility of evaluation research to land use regulations: the case of Ontario shoreline development

This article explores the utility of evaluation research to the implementation of land use regulations through a Great Lakes shoreline case study. Factors influencing the relevance of evaluation research are discussed. Shoreline development regulations along the Great Lakes have been administered by several Ontario conservation authorities. The regulations were evaluated, using four process and four outcome criteria, in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing flood- and erosion-prone shoreline development. Several regulation aspects were found to limit regulation effectiveness. An unclear Conservation Authorities Act with regard to these regulations hindered effective development control. Public information about the regulations was also lacking. However, results indicated strong public support when participants were informed about the regulations' purpose. Penalties provided in the Act served as poor deterrents to non-compliance. These limitations, identified through evaluation research, served to alert regulation administrators to aspects of the programme that required review and amendment. Decision-makers were able to increase regulation effectiveness through the utilization of evaluation research.

Flooding and erosion hazards on the ontario great lakes shoreline: a human ecological approach to planning and management

Abstract Understanding flood and erosion hazards in the context of developing coastal management plans requires an appreciation for variations in climate, geology, vegetation, land uses, human activities and institutional arrangements. On the Great Lakes, fluctuating water levels are characterized by temporal variations in their magnitude and frequency and their impact on flooding and erosion also differ from site to site. The traditional planning and management mechanisms in Ontario, through the use of emergency responses and land use setbacks, have been insufficient in resolving the rising costs of damage to property due to flooding and erosion along the Great Lakes shoreline. There is a need to develop an alternative management model with a focus on understanding hazards in the context of their natural and human components. A case study of the preparation of a resource survey for the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority illustrates the development of a human ecological approach and its applicability i...

Enhancing resilience in great lakes water levels management

Great Lakes water levels management has been the focus of major studies by the Canada‐U.S. International Joint Commission (IJC) since 1964. The main reason for this activity is the economic significance of lake levels fluctuations to navigation, hydro‐electric power generation, recreation, shoreline erosion, industrial and municipal water supply and wildlife. Reviews of public policies for Great Lakes shoreline management indicate a cycle of developing and then protecting hazard‐prone shoreline. The current study by the IJC presents an opportunity to break this cycle of incremental protection and development by adopting policies that enhance resilience. Previous studies have demonstrated that further efforts to control water levels are limited in scope and costly to implement. The current study needs to be placed in a context of uncertainty due to the potential impacts of climate change which is predicted to reduce average runoff by 20%; diversions and increased consumptive water uses are also likely to r...

Contamination Hazard from Waste Disposal Sites near Receding Great Lakes Shorelines

Abstract Of the approximately 4000 waste disposal sites in Ontario, more than 230 are located within 5 km of the shoreline of the lower Great Lakes. Sixty sites are within 1 km of the shore. Unlike the more resistant bedrock shores of the Upper Great Lakes, the shoreline between Midland (Georgian Bay) and Kingston (Lake Ontario) is composed primarily of unlithified glacial deposits, and thus is prone to significant erosion. This report presents an examination of the potential for contamination of nearshore lake waters either directly through shoreline recession at the waste site, or indirectly through the transport to the lake of leachates from the nearby sites via groundwater discharges. Recession-related hazards were identified at three sites (two on Lake Ontario and one on Lake Erie). Groundwater contamination hazards were harder to identify due to insufficient subsurface and hydrogeological information. However, 31 sites, less than 0.2 km from the shore, were identified as potentially hazardous; 19 of these were located in the northern Lake Ontario shore zone.

Bluff response to wave action

The unconsolidated materials forming the bluffs along the coasts of the Great Lakes are subject to active wave erosion which results in losses in millions of dollars annually due to property damage and reduction in property values. An understanding of the mechanics of bluff recession and the long-term trends in the evolution of coastal bluffs is required for an evaluation of engineering and management solutions for the problems created by retreating coastal bluffs. Bluff retreat is usually analyzed and measured from airphotos. However, since airphotos are taken at discrete points in time they are not capable of providing a full account of bluff retreat mechanisms. Field investigations, coupled with analytical methods, can enable investigators to identify patterns of bluff retreat. These patterns, subsequently incorporated into slope evolution models, shed light on data obtained over long periods from airphotos. The present paper explains recession rates and bluff profile changes as measured from airphotos with the help of bluff evolution models already established for the bluffs forming the Great Lakes shorelines.

Municipal Land Use Regulation and the Great Lakes Shoreline Hazard in Ontario

The application of the Ontario municipal land use planning process to the Great Lakes shoreline flood and erosion hazard during the decade following high lake levels of 1973 is assessed. Zoning bylaws and other planning documents for twenty selected shoreline municipalities were examined. Development occurring within the 100-year flood and erosion zone of each municipality was determined using air photos and municipal building permit files. By 1983 all study municipalities had recognized the shoreline hazard in their planning documents but only a minority had comprehensive development controls in place. During the 1973–82 period, an average 37.5 percent increase in development in the hazard zone among the municipalities was measured. While some of this development was permitted on condition of flood proofing or installation of erosion control works, more can be done to minimize an increase in hazard susceptibility. The study lends support to a recent Ontario government initiative designating regional conservation authorities as implementing agencies for shoreline hazard management.

Assessing land‐use regulations in coastal wetlands: The case of the long point area, lake Erie, Ontario

The first comprehensive attempt at development control along the Canadian Great Lakes shoreline was the 1976 lakeshore regulation policy adopted by the Regional Municipality of Haldimand‐Norfolk on...

Mechanics of coastal landslides and the influence of slope parameters

Shoreline erosion results in landslides and complex slope processes, under appropriate conditions, in unconsolidated materials forming the coastal bluffs. Shoreline erosion and bluff recession along most of the Great Lakes shoreline results in losses in millions of dollars annually. An understanding of bluff recession and the trends in the evolution of coastal bluffs is required for an evaluation of engineering and management solutions for the problems created. The factors effecting changes in bluff geometry include wave action, frost action, seepage effects, sheet wash, and weathering. An overview of the physical processes as they affect slope evolution, the available mechanical models, and the influence of slope parameters on the stability of the coastal bluffs are presented. The response of coastal slopes to the action of these factors is viewed as shallow failures and downslope transport as well as deep rotational slips. A distinction between the stability against deep slips which is termed as quasi-stability and the ultimate stability is made. The progress of slope evolution in coastal bluffs can be predicted with successive applications of the two-dimensional circular slip limit equilibrium analysis of slope stability using the effective stress method. The influence of slope parameters, namely, geometry (slope height and inclination), material properties (strength parameters and unit weight), and the relative position of the groundwater table on the limiting stability conditions of uniform slopes is presented based on such a limit equilibrium analysis. The relative influence of some of these parameters varies with slope height and the slopes can be viewed as low and high slopes with a height of 25 m as an approximate demarcation between the two groups.

Coastal Hazards and National Policy: A Jury-Rig Approach

Abstract The oceanic and Great Lakes shorelines of the U.S. are hazardous places. Despite substantial loss of life and property annually, population and investment continue to expand in coastal hazard areas. Federal policy toward this situation is fragmented. The coastal zone management program supports state planning procedures but provides no substantive standards. The national flood insurance program supplies minimum standards but lacks an effective implementation process. This article suggests that these programs might fruitfully serve each other's needs through closer coordination. With help from recent executive orders concerning flood plains and wetlands, a collaborative national policy and program for the mitigation of coastal hazard losses might thus be achieved.