ST. CLAIR EROSION

Evening Star, Issue 23324, 21 July 1939, Page 8

ST. CLAIR EROSION

TEMPORARY REPAIRS EFFECTED IS THE ESPLANADE CAUSING TROUBLE ? THEORY ADVANCED BY RESIDENT Since Wednesday morning, when it was discovered that the sea had undermined portion of tho “ Lovers’ Lane ” walk near the St. Clair esplanade, men have been busy effecting temporary repairs. Their work so far has been concerned with the construction of a wall of sandbags and brush, it being hoped that this barricade will prevent further undermining in the meantime. The seas arc less heavy than they were at the beginning of the week, and tho biggest rollers have not been reaching far enough up tho beach to hinder the work. Other than the receding of the seas, however, no change has taken place in the beach, which presents an unattractive appearance, and leads one to wonder if the sand will ever return.

A theory for the continued scouring and erosion was advanced by a resident to a ‘ Star ’ representative last night. He was inclined to blame the esplanade for the trouble, claiming it was not set far enough back front the beach to give the breakers a proper chance to expend themselves in rough weather. Thought up suddenly against the concrete wall of the esplanade, the breakers swirled round, and in doing so removed the sand, carrying it back into the body of the sea. The esplanade lias, of course, been in existence for many years, and may have bad some hearing on semirings of past years. Until comparatively recently, however, sand has invariably returned to some extent within a reasonable period afterwards, but latterly this has not been the case. It is in this connection that the resident’s theory becomes interesting. He blames tho extension of the Esplanade for the present trouble. Whereas formerly tho rollers surging against the concrete wall had expended themselves among the rocks and debris in front of tho surf club’s pavilion, to-day they were forced to swirl along under another 30yds or 40yds extension of that concrete wall. This not only increased the area being scoured, but resulted in a heavier volume of water swirling around. Had tho original Esplanade been set further back the extension would of necessity have been set further back, and the breakers not forced to scour round in a rigidly confined area. This resident was firmly of the opinion that the sand would not return as it had done in the past, it might to a slight extent, but the very formation of the beach as created by man militated against natural action. Both this and the theory previously advanced that for many years there have been no floods in the Molyneux River which brought sand from up cotintry to be carried by the currents to St. Clair are interesting, and both (or either) may be primary contributing factors to the problem which has arisen. The ‘ Star’s ’ informant suggested that had the concrete wall of the Esplanade been sloping, instead of a sheer face, the incoming breakers would have had a better chance of expending themselves naturally by surging up the slope than they have under tho present conditions. The slope would have prevented tho swirling of confined waters which to-day are the cause of so much trouble.