Shoreline Flooding & Erosion
What should I do if I want to protect my property from erosion?
- Contact a Cataraqui Conservation Development Officer by emailing info@crca.ca. The Development Officer can discuss your options for protecting your shoreline.
- If high water levels are causing shoreline erosion on your property, please take photos to document your losses. This will assist in evaluating future repairs to the shoreline.
- During high water events is not the optimal time for performing in-water work along the shoreline. High water levels combined with wind and wave action will make it difficult to work.
- Cataraqui Conservation approval is required under Ontario Regulation 148/06 prior to any work on a shoreline. Staff will work to issue permissions in an expedited manner.
- Residents are encouraged to contact other agencies such as the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to initiating any shoreline works to ensure that their project is compliant with applicable legislation.
Sandbags
Building a sandbag wall is an effective method to protect your home and property from rising water levels during a flooding event. Approximately 600 filled sandbags are required to create a wall approximately 30 m (100 ft) in length by 0.3 m (1 ft) in height.
Cataraqui Conservation does not distribute sand or sandbags to municipalities, the public or other agencies. Please contact your municipality directly for more information on the availability of sand and sandbags within your municipality.
After a flood, the sandbags will need to be removed. Sand that contacts flood water may be contaminated with oil, gasoline, sewage, or other contaminants, and should be treated as hazardous waste for disposal. Dumping sand from used sandbags onto your private property is not recommended, and it is not permitted to dump sand into a watercourse, wetland, or floodplain. Please contact your municipality or local landfill for more information on disposal methods. Re-using sandbags is not recommended because the material can deteriorate over time.
See the video below produced by Quinte Conservation for directions on how to build a sandbag wall.
Sandbags can be purchased from the private bulk suppliers listed below, and local hardware stores may also sell sandbags. The contact information is subject to change.
Burtex Industries: 66 Bartor Road Weston ON. Tel: 1-416-745-2711. Toll Free: 1-800-268-0908. Fax: 1-416-740-2261. Email: farrellent@aol.com
Les Abris Harnois (Harnois Shelters): 507 Route 158 St. Thomas QC. Tel: 1-866-661-6646. Fax: 1-450-755-6878
Marathon Watch Company Ltd: 1-8355 Jane Street Vaughan ON. Tel: 1-905-764-9420. Toll Free: 1-800-822-4329. Email: info@marathonwatch.com
Polytarp Products: 350 Wildcat Road Toronto ON. Tel: 1-416-633-2231 ext. 280. Toll Free: 1-800-606-2231 Email: ikohl@polytarp.com
Creatium Inc: Quebec, Canada. Tel. 866-500-5706 or 833-722-5391. Email: contact form at www.creatium.ca
Private companies that offer proprietary flood control products are listed below. Cataraqui Conservation does not have experience using these products for flood control. The contact information is subject to change.
MegaSecur Inc. – Water-Gate barrier
Tel: 1-819-751-0222
Toll Free: 1-888-756-0222
Fax: 1-819-751-5550
Email: info@megasecur.com
Website: www.water-gate.com
Fontaine Aquanox – Flood Fencing
Tel: 1-819-769-0157
Toll Free: 1-855-769-0157
Email: info@iseaquanox.com
Website: www.fontaine-aquanox.com
Harbour Water Barriers
Tel: 519-971-2552
Email: sales@harbourwaterbarriers.com
Website: www.harbourwaterbarriers.com