Residents fear homes, farmland in Ontario's Hillman Marsh area will go under water without federal help

Residents, environmentalists and the mayor of Leamington, Ont.,say homes and businesses are at severe risk while Ottawa considers an application for millions of dollars to helpprotect the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area on the Point Pelee peninsula againstLake Erie flooding.

Wayne King, founder of the Leamington Shoreline Association, says immediate action is needed to prevent the possibility of destructive flooding in the southwestern Ontario community.

"There's 500 homes and businesses out there that would be under water," he said.

In November, the municipality of Leamingtonapplied to Ottawa under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) to help pay foran$18-millionproject to protectthe area around Hillman Marsh, which is adjacent to Lake Erie.

The money would go toward adding protection atthe edge of the marsh, wherea barrier beach had been sheltering the area from Lake Erie waves until the beachwas nearly destroyed in 2018, eventually leaving a largearea open to the lake.

The funding would also be used to create artificial islandsand strengthenthe last line of defence between the marshand the land:aclay berm.

"If this breaches, you've got 10, 12 feet [about 3 and 3.6 metres] of water in that farmland and inside those homes," King said as he stood on the berm Tuesday.

While lake levels are slightlylower this year, they're cyclical, Kingsaid, and they are expected to rise as the climate changes.

Some work in the region was completed by Ducks Unlimited last year, funded through a$30-million provincial program.

'Frightening possibilities'

Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonaldsaid the$18-million cost for the work the municipality wants to dois too steep for it to absorb.

"And yet on the reverse side, no one can afford not to do it because of not taking care of the danger in not taking care of the dike walls and the water crashing in on basically an earthen barrier."

She said she hopes the upper levels of government understand the"frightening possibilities" if nothing is done.

A spokesperson for the Ontario governmentsaid it was aware of the situation in the area, and the "safety of the public and the protection of our communities is our No. 1 priority."

The DMAF is a federal program,but costs are shared by the provincial and federal governments, the statement explained.

"While funding decisions are made solely by the federal government, we continue to work with our partners at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Infrastructure Canada to advocate for this project and hope that the federal government will make a decision on the municipality of Leamington's funding application as soon as possible"

In a statement, the federal government said it was assessing projects submitted for funding against eligibility and merit criteria.

'It needs to be fixed'

The need for help manifests itself in different ways.

On Tuesday, mere metres from the berm, a wheat field was being harvested.

WATCH: Farmer Dennis Driedgeron the threat of flooding

Leamington farmer concerned about flooding

2 years ago

Duration 0:45

Dennis Driedger worries about loss of farm land and property if Hillman Marsh and Lake Erie over flows.

The farmer, Dennis Driedger, estimated the land was 3 or 3.6 metres lower compared to the water level.

If the measures protecting the area were to fail, it would mean the loss of housing and away of life, andthe end of agriculture.

"It needs to be fixed. It needs to be protected," said Driedger.