 June 30, 1993 is a day that will live in the memories of
the people of Lemieux, Ontario as the day their town slid into the
Nation River, but 1991 will remain in their
memory as the time the government came to their rescue.
The
South Nation River is a meandering river which flows through most of
Eastern Ontario. It is a shallow and fairly fast flowing
river. The banks of the South Nation are generally muddy, thus
making the river run dark brown.
The river banks near the town of Lemieux, a few miles north of
Casselman, w ere comprised of thinly laminated layers of the Leda
clay. Leda clay is extremely prone to erosion.
On May 16, 1971, a small slide took place along the river a short
distance from Lemieux. The Geological
Survey of Canada analysed the area around Lemieux and determined that
the town was at risk for the future.
In 1991, the government,
heeding the warning, expropriated the entire town and dismantled it.
The last building to go was the local church.
Good thing they did because the inevitable happened on June 30, 1993.
The bank gave way and created a new bay on the South Nation River.
The cooperation of multiple levels of government combined with strong science
saved the people and property of the town of Lemieux.
UPDATE on this story:
On November 5, Anna and I took a trip to
the site of the Lemieux Slide. Two things strike you immediately.
The first is that everything with the side area has dropped about 35-50
feet from the land level around the slide. The second is
that nature is reclaiming the area. Locals planted some
trees at the edge of the slide in order to stabilize the cliffs but the
slide area has begun to fill in with trees and bushes. Below are
two images of the slide area in 2006. Quite a change from 1993.
from Google Earth |
Author at the site |
One final note: As we drove
around the area there was evidence of other more recent slides into the
Nation River. A sign that the near tragedy that happened at
Lemieux could happen again. Thanks from Mysteries Of
Canada go to Geof Burbidge for leading the expedition. |
