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Lake St. Clair is projected to finish this month with a level roughly 21 centimetres above its monthly averages for March 2019, which would be three centimetres higher than the previous record set in 1986, the Essex Region Conservation Authority said Wednesday as it announced a flood watch for all shoreline areas in the region.

“Levels within Lake St. Clair are particularly high and concerning as recent rainfall in the later part of March 2020 has caused a spike in water level,” ERCA said.

Laforet, who serves as Windsor’s community emergency management co-ordinator, said the greatest threat is the shoreline from George Avenue all the way to the Town of Tecumseh limits. He hoped that by the end of the day Wednesday, a flyer will be ready to send out to residents in vulnerable areas, to tell them about the availability of sandbags and imploring people to make a plan for where they will stay — while following COVID-19 precautions concerning safe distancing — in the event of an evacuation.

On Wednesday, the Windsor Port Authority re-established a ban on motorized watercraft operating within 30 metres of shore, at the request of the city, to reduce shoreline erosion. A sandbag depot will be opened to the public on Friday.

Photo by City of Windsor / Windsor Star

Winterton said every single location where water may rush onto the land has been identified and prioritized. Starting in the 1970s, berms, barriers and other flood-fighting measures have been installed. In recent years, 70,000 sandbags were purchased as well as a machine capable of creating 1,000 sandbags an hour. Earlier this year, the entire shoreline from George to city limits was surveyed for potential problems. Contractors have been lined up and members of CUPE Local 82, many of whom are off work due to the shutdown of non-essential services during the COVID-19 crisis, are available. Another 30,000 sandbags have been purchased, bringing the total to 100,000.