Little River Flood Control

Two sections of the Little River Dykes are currently being lowered to provide emergency overflows into parklands east of dykes and south of the Little River Sewage Treatment Plant. The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) is overseeing this project which will enhance protection of residential neighbourhoods in the area. "In the event of a major or extreme rainfall event, water will spill in controlled fashion into the large parkland area of the floodplain so that it won't be able to flood the developed areas," explains Tom Wilson, ERCA Chair. "This work will use the storage areas, and restores the natural function of the floodplain to store water and alleviate flooding downstream." Protecting homes and people from the dangers of flooding and erosion is one of ERCA's key strategic activities.

This project is part of a major Flood Control and Stormwater Management Program for the East Riverside Planning Area in Windsor. It has been designed and implemented jointly by ERCA, the City of Windsor, and major developers. For this component of the project, ERCA was successful in obtaining $350,000 in Provincial funding towards the project. This represents 50% of the total project cost, as the project protects existing development as well as the Sewage Treatment Plant.

ERCA carried out a major construction and improvement program on the dykes along the full length and both sides of the Little River from Riverside Drive to the Canadian National Railway in the 1980s. These important flood control structures protect over two thousand homes both west and east of Little River, in addition to the sewage plant.