Mother Nature has gotten the best of Peche Island.
City run boat tours over to the island have been put on hold as much of the trail system is under water due to record high lake levels.
Council committed $2.5-million in its 2019 budget specifically for the preservation of Peche Island and Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens says work on that initiative continues.
"If you ask me whether or not I would prefer that we had the shoreline erosion control methods in place already, I would say yes, but the fact of the matter is we don't. Our team will get those rocks and the placements done properly in coordination with the Essex Region Conservation Authority. We need to elevate portions of the island in order to make it user friendly."
Flooding shown on Peche Island on June 17, 2019 (Photo courtesy of the City of Windsor)
He says the tours have been a hit with residents since they began a year ago and the city's goal is to resume them as soon as possible.
"Last year, when we bought a boat and we announced that we were going to offer tours to Peche Island almost every boat tour was fully subscribed. People are interested in that and there are very few cities who own islands. We want people to experience it, to be able to enjoy it. Right now they can't, but as soon as the water levels go down we'll get the boat back in the water and make sure the people can get to their island."
Dilkens says safety has become an issue on the island.
"The water level has risen so high that it's actually washed out a big part of the path system. So thankfully we put in a lot of shoreline erosion control last year that will help with the erosion, but you'd be half a foot under water if you tried to walk on a part of the path. So our tours that we offer from Lakeview Marina on our boat are suspended until further notice."
Flooding shown on Peche Island on June 17, 2019 (Photo courtesy of the City of Windsor)
According to Dilkens, in 1965 Peche Island was about 150-acres — today it's about 90-acres because of erosion and rising water levels.
For those with their own transportation, the boat dock, washrooms and pavilion remain open, but for safety reasons, all trails are closed.
For the latest status on tours over to the island you can visit the city's website or call 3-1-1.