An old problem has some new urgency along a stretch of shoreline in Saint John, N.B.
Continuous tidal erosion around the Red Head Road area has accelerated from a storm surge about two weeks ago.
Dana Bagley’s backyard lost as much as 12 feet of ground during the storm, taking out a portion of fencing along his property.
“I used to mow out there,” says Bagley, pointing to what is now a cliff. “The lawn is gone.”
A shed on Bagley’s property is sitting at the edge of what is now his backyard, leading to a rocky beach below.
“Swells happened to come in at just exactly the right angle,” says Bagley, who’s been living along the Bay of Fundy since 1998.
Erosion has been a perpetual issue in the area for decades.
A major landslide in 1995 forced some properties to be condemned, with homes either moved, demolished, or abandoned.
Area resident Garry Prosser says there’s never been any long-term mitigation plan to slow the erosion in the area.
“It’s about time we started to do something and be proactive, instead of reactive [and] putting out fires as they have been for the last 40 years,” says Prosser.
The storm surge, on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, also broke up parts of a paved city road and eroded ground around the base of a utility pole.
“It’s going to go next,” says Prosser.
The New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government says it is a municipal issue.
The City of Saint John says it’s aware of the most recent erosion.
“Discussions are occurring to help establish what assistance, if any, the city can provide,” said Tim O'Reilly, the city’s director of public works and transportation, in a written statement.
Prosser says he’s expecting to meet with the city manager and city engineers next week.
