'Up the climate change creek': What does the future hold for Hamilton's Beach Strip?

There are homeowners along Hamilton's Beach Strip who keep rowboats at the ready in their basements.

That's according to longtime resident Jim Howlett, who says the boats aren't for rowing — they're for saving belongings during the times Lake Ontario takes over their basements.

"There are one or two very practical people down here who stuck little rowboats down there and they just left their stuff in there and it was safe," said Howlett. "Those are highly adaptive people."

All across the neighbourhood hoses and pipes have kept busy pumping out basements this spring, and it could get worse as experts warn Lake Ontario water levels could top historic highs in the coming days.

It's the second time in the past three years Beach Boulevard has suffered serious flooding, following decades of problems with water. And as concerns around the impact of climate change continue to rise along with the lake, some residents worry they are already on the front line of those impacts and are questioning what the future holds for their waterfront community.

The Beach Strip is a unique neighbourhood strung out across a narrow strip of sandy, low-lying land in the shadow of the Skyway bridge. One side offers a view of the far-off Toronto skyline across the lake. The other faces Hamilton Harbour and the city's industrial area.

It's an eclectic gathering of homes that range from old brick houses and cottages to bungalows and new builds.

Over the years, the one-time bohemian outpost has weathered an attempt from the conservation authority to buy up 174 properties with the plan to clear out the flood-prone community and replace it with a park.

More recently, the city has switched its approach and pushed for development. Builders have responded, drawn by the allure of waterfront property and skipping over the soggy reality of the location.

Not like the flooding you see on TV

But while the classic signs of a fight against water might not be visible, the reality is there, rising underground.

"It's not normal flooding like you'd see on TV. When you look around there aren't any sandbags," explains Don Dowie as he pulls on a pair of rubber boots to check out the basement of one of his homes.

But as he walks down into the the basement his footfalls are soon replaced by the sounds of splashing. Ankle-deep water sloshes around furnaces that sit on cinder blocks and a piece of Styrofoam floats by with a milk crate full of plumbing supplies sitting on top.

It's not quite a rowboat, but Dowie said when the water started to rise this year he thought the crate and its contents would be lost.

"When I went to get it I put on my boots … and the Styrofoam was floating around the basement like a little boat," he says with a laugh. So he decided to leave it there, high and dry.

Dowie has been tracking lake water levels using a metre stick in his basement since 1981.

In that time he's seen them peak multiple times, with especially high-water marks hit in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

This year, even with a sump pump running almost constantly, he expects his basement will stay flooded for at least another month.

From Dowie's perspective it's too early to call the recent rise in water levels a trend — next year they could drop off again — but if it keeps going this way, it will present serious problems.

"I have been in some basements that would shock you," he said. "It looks like you could go swimming."

Extreme storms could mean 'huge costs'

Professor Altaf Arian, director of the McMaster Centre for Climate Change, says Hamilton is seeing an increase in "extreme precipitation events" that will cause even more flooding and erosion across the region in the future.

All of the water could overwhelm existing systems and lead to further damage along the shoreline," he added.

"Damage to coastline and infrastructure will have huge costs for repairs," said Arian in an email to CBC News. "We see it with the Waterfront Trail already."

The popular trail has been heavily damaged by flooding during the past three spring seasons, with waves washing away large sections of the asphalt, causing parts of the path to collapse.

Large sections of several waterfront paths were blocked off earlier this week as the lake's water levels reached 75.85 metres, according to the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.

That's compared to the record of 75.88 metres set in 2017 and the organizations cautions levels are expected to continue rising in the coming weeks, especially if wet weather continues.

Hamilton and federal government have responded by pledging millions for repairs. The city is also studying what it will take to protect the path and its other properties near the lakefront from the "more extreme storms and higher lake levels that we have been experiencing in recent years," according to Cynthia Graham, manager of landscape architectural services.

'This is Lake Ontario in your basement'

For Beach Strip residents, the influx of new homes in their neighbourhood is adding to concerns around flooding. Howlett says the houses keep going up, but new homeowners often aren't considering climate change when they build.

On a sunny afternoon earlier this month, a pair of pipes gargled outside one of those new homes, sending water gushing onto the road where it formed a large puddle despite the sunshine. A harried homeowner who came to the door said he didn't have time to talk.

"It's kind of a mess in here today," he said, apologetically before closing the door.

A few blocks away, Howlett has been living with the high cost of a soaked basement for years.

In 2017 the record-high lake levels took over his lower level, destroying a hot water heater, washer, dryer and other appliances in the process.

"That was a very severe financial blow for us. We solved it ourselves," said Howlett. "If you are not the kind of person who can solve those kinds of problems themselves you might be up the climate change creek.

Over the past 10 years he estimates his community has seen basement flooding ranging in depth from two or three inches to three-and-a-half feet about five times.

At his house, the water can sometimes stick around from February to September and he's not alone.

Howlett says loads of gravel have been used to turn basements into crawl spaces across the neighbourhood.

"This is Lake Ontario in your basement. It is a nearly living organism invading your living space. It's giant. It's big. I will not be surprised if one day somebody has smelt living in their basement."

Wind, water and blazing hot summers

And it's not just the water.

Stronger winds that tear off shingles and slam rain sideways are some of the other climate-related impacts Howlett has seen, along with searing heat during long-lasting summers that bakes homes.

For people like Howlett who know the history of their community, the legacy of Hurricanes Connie and Hazel loom large.

The storms hit Hamilton in 1954 and 1955 respectively, destroying a handful of cottages and summer homes along Van Wagner's Beach. Today there's little left of the settlement that once stood there, save a beach-side street that bears its name.

Howlett, an environmental advocate, knows the cost of climate change first-hand. Now he worries about the damage lake levels, which are creeping up on 2017's historical high, could do if they topped the current record by another three or four inches and the water was being blown by a strong enough wind.

"I would say we would lose some houses for sure between Stoney Creek and the far end of the beach. And it would not be wise to build them back unless you build them on stilts."