Crumbling banks continue to give way along the Humber River in Deer Lake

The Town of Deer Lake is waiting for the proverbial straw that will break the camel’s back.

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It was another weekend of constantly checking the faltering banks of the Humber River along Pine Tree Drive and Riverbank Road, which have been eroding for more than two weeks since mild temperatures and heavy rains inundated the river with water Jan. 13.

The water levels have receded, but the erosion has continued, albeit slowly.

Mayor Dean Ball said Monday morning there were no major changes, but the situation is worsening.

“It’s a lot of small stuff,” he said of the bits and pieces occasionally dropping off into the water below. “There are more cracks in the banks and the trees are continuing to move (towards the river).”

The mayor said he was actually glad to see some of the overhangs on the riverbank drop off because some people were still getting too close to the precarious edge of the sandy banks to peer down.

He has publicly stated numerous times in the last two weeks that further deterioration of the riverbanks is inevitable. The particular concern on Pine Tree Drive especially, in addition to the loss of privately owned property, is the exposure of municipal infrastructure to the crumbling soil.