Posted on September 21, 2026
A major restoration project aimed at rebuilding the barrier beach at Hillman Marsh and protecting the coastal wetland from Lake Erie has moved into its construction phase.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority and its partners began Phase 1A of the project Thursday, with work focused on the southern portion of a new barrier that will help shield the marsh from waves and storms.
The barrier was breached in 2020 after record-high water levels, low ice cover, storms, erosions and an interrupted supply of sediment, according to officials.
The structure holds back water that sits about three metres above thousands of acres of farmland and residential and commercial development, but the 100-year-old berm is beginning to fail, in part because a strip of land that helped shield the marsh from Lake Erie has now disappeared, essentially leaving Hillman Marsh and Lake Erie as the same body of water.
“This project is an important step toward restoring Hillman Marsh as a healthy, resilient coastal wetland,” ERCA board chair Molly Allaire said.
“Phase 1A will provide immediate protection to the most vulnerable part of the marsh while laying the foundation for long-term restoration.”
The construction budget sits at about $4 million with the restoration work expected to take two years.
Phase 1A will see construction of the southern half of a rock core for the new barrier, according to ERCA. The rock core will be allowed to settle for an estimated eight to 12 months before being covered with sand and supported by future beach plantings.
Construction also includes a jetty, spur and offshore reefs designed to improve the stability of the beach under future climate conditions, ERCA said, but will be dependent on future funding.
Hillman Marsh is classified as an environmentally significant area, a provincially significant wetland, and an area of natural and scientific interest containing several species at risk.
ERCA said wetland restoration has also been underway since 2024, with thousands of plants representing more than 70 native species planted at the site.
The conservation authority said that work, combined with the barrier restoration, aims to improve water quality and reduce wave impacts while restoring habitat for wildlife.
Chief Nikki van Oirschot of Caldwell First Nation said Hillman Marsh forms part of the First Nation’s traditional territory and its restoration carries significance for the community.
“We have a responsibility to actively steward these lands and waters and to ensure that restoration efforts reflect both the best available science and the traditional knowledge and responsibilities stemming from our relationship with this place,” van Oirschot said.
Caldwell First Nation is among the partners involved in the restoration project, along with the Canada Water Agency, the province and the Municipality of Leamington.
Leamington Mayor and Essex County Warden Hilda MacDonald said the project will help protect the marsh and the Lake Erie shoreline.
“We’re incredibly proud to see a restoration project of this significance moving forward right here in our community,” MacDonald said.
ERCA has identified the initiative as one of the largest coastal wetland rehabilitation projects of its kind in Canada.
Subject to future funding, Phase 1B would complete the northern half of the barrier and introduce nature-based measures intended to slow the retreat of the remaining original barrier beach, according to ERCA.
A potential Phase 2 would add offshore reefs to further dissipate waves and protect the northern half of the restored barrier.
