Community Update: Coboconk Dam Rehabilitation

 

The Government of Canada has announced more than $600 million of work on infrastructure across the Trent-Severn Waterway and its reservoir lakes. As a part of this historic re-investment, major work has been proposed to rehabilitate the Coboconk Dam.

Dams play an integral role in water management within the Trent-Severn system and therefore are essential for public safety. The Coboconk Dam rehabilitation project will involve the replacement of the concrete deck and repairs to the dam’s structure, as well as the replacement of guard railings. Safe public access across the dam itself will be created by constructing a pedestrian walkway or area that is separated from the operating deck. Overall, this rehabilitation project will ensure that the dam is reliable, functional, meets current safety codes and standards, and that its water management capabilities are optimized.

Archaeologists were onsite in early December upstream of the dam to gather information that will inform how the project is conducted. At present it is anticipated that the construction tender for this project will be let in January 2017.

During construction, intermittent machinery noise and increased truck traffic can be expected as a part of the project. Water management capabilities and water levels will not be affected during the course of construction. Further, the project will be conducted in a way that minimizes the in-water footprint.

More information will be available when a contractor has been hired and has completed a work plan. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in May of 2017.

For More Information:

For up-to-date news about this or other infrastructure projects in your area, please visit www.pc.gc.ca/TSWKawarthaLakes. For questions or concerns, or to receive email updates regarding this project, please contact us at Ont.TrentSevern@pc.gc.ca and include “Coboconk Dam” in the subject heading.

About the Coboconk Dam

The Coboconk Dam was built in 1939. It is located in the cottage community of Coboconk, at the outlet of the Silver and Shadow Lake system leading into Balsam Lake. Silver and Shadow Lakes are a part of the Gull River reservoir system, and this dam is the point where that system meets the Trent-Severn Waterway. Balsam Lake is the highest point on the Trent-Severn Waterway, and the highest freshwater point from which one can circumnavigate the globe in North America.