The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA

The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA
Pilot project shows promise
Posted 18 mins ago
When it comes to finding innovative solutions to major problems, you can't beat local companies.

That's being demonstrated at Canatara beach, where a Corunna firm has come up with a unique way to fix decaying groynes.

The groynes, put in place over the past 50 years, are used to trap water-borne sand and to extend beaches on the Lake Huron shoreline. Put simply, they've prevented our beaches from disappearing down the river.

But now they're in trouble. Many have been badly damaged over the years, creating aesthetic and safety problems. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap to replace.

That's where Global Marine Protection comes in. It is testing a pilot project on a groyne near the bandshell at Canatara Park. The recently completed job involved adding new steel plates and covering the whole with a rubber-like substance.

The special polymer coating can withstand crashing waves better than steel, according to Terry McCallum, the city's director of community services.

If all goes according to plan, the ice will slide right off the groynes, instead of crashing and freezing to the steel.

And the cost, estimated at around $25,000 per groyne, is much cheaper than the bill for replacement.

This is a project that has a lot of potential. Indeed, you can find decaying groynes across the Great Lakes basin. There are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of waterfront in Ontario and the eight U.S. states that border the lakes.

And of course you can find groynes on other bodies of water in North America and around the world, for that matter.

It may take time, but we suspect an innovation hatched right here in Lambton County could eventually be used to solve a problem plaguing waterfront communities far and wide.