The City of Sarnia has barricaded Blackwell Sideroad Beach from the public and posted danger signs around the property.
Construction Manager Robert Williams says the vertical steel seawall protecting the right of way has collapsed allowing severe erosion to occur.
Williams says the native sandy soils are prone to further erosion, making the area very unstable.
He says Lake Huron water levels, which are the highest they've been in the past 18-20-years, are partly to blame.
"The high water doesn't help as it's causing more erosion of the beach, also the steel wall is at the end of its life expectancy so it's corroded right through at the bottom of the wall," says Williams. "As the wall has kicked out at the bottom we are seeing erosion behind it."
Williams says interim measures are being investigated to make the area safe for public access and to prevent further loss of property.
"Steel walls aren't really used anymore on the shores of Lake Huron because they don't perform well with high wave action," he says. "Typically what's used now is more of a soft revetment, using armour stone, which can be done on a bit of an incline. It absorbs a little more energy from the wave, rather than a steel wall that takes the full impact of the wave."
The city is asking residents to discuss the dangers with their families and to avoid the area.
