Grafton Woman Says Rising Water Destroyed Her Backyard Paradise

Pete Fisher
5 years ago
• Categories: Editor Choice, Local

A Grafton woman’s backyard is a paradise lost after Lake Ontario destroyed her dream.

The rising and turbulent waters of Lake Ontario have destroyed the tranquil area for North Shore Road resident Lynne Picard.

Picard and her husband bought the home approximately eight years ago. Since then the couple had a “vision” and built a gorgeous setting by the beach of their residence.

The area was completed in 2017 and wasn’t damaged by the high water then, but the waters of 2019 have all but destroyed the scenic setting.
“It started in May and got worse and worse,” said Picard and it’s still continuing.

Photos taken before water destroyed the area showed a picturesque, tranquil setting.

The back area overlooking the lake was the couple’s “piece of paradise and now it’s a disaster zone.”

Picard said the insurance company isn’t very helpful saying it’s an act of God.

“This lake has never been this high in the eight years. My neighbours have been here much, much longer than we have. It’s been unseen.”

The Grafton woman said they want help, they want answers and they want someone to take responsibility.

“We pay a lot of taxes here, particularly on the lake and we feel like we’ve been sort of left in the dark.”

Picard believes, “it’s a combination” of how the water got so high.

“I think the water levels are not managed properly. I used to think we got a lot of rain, but if you look at the 2017 there was a lot more rain, so I can’t say it’s the rain because we got less.”

The Picards have lost at least 20 feet of beach, with the water now going under where Picard showed Today’s Northumberland the damage on Sunday, June 23, 2019.

“We’ve had engineers come here, the insurance company sent a contractor, an engineer, and they have never seen anything like this and don’t even know how to fix it.”

“They have no recommendation and in all fairness they have to wait until the lake recedes.”

“It cost a lot of money to make it and now it’s going to cost a lot of money to fix it.”

Damage estimates could reach $100,000, but for Picard she said, at this point she doesn’t want to rebuild it, “because I don’t trust the levels.”