A major repair is slated for the Baptiste Lake “High Falls” dam this summer.
Last November Ontario announced it would invest $22 million to reconstruct this dam and five others in the province.
Marlin Horst, Director of Baptiste Lake Association said they’ve been hearing from people concerned over the state of the dam for awhile:
“It was first brought to our attention that there were some cracks appearing in the dam a year or two ago” Said Horst, “And through our channels with the Ministry we reported it and I think that might have had the ability to move it up a little bit on the schedule, because when they went to the dam they saw that there were in fact repairs that were definitely needed”
Horst continued,
“So they’re doing quite a bit of extensive repair work, I believe. I’m not sure of all the details, but they’re refacing part of the dam. They’re also repairing some of the cracks that are visible and repairing older repairs as well and I think”
The boat launch parking area at the dam will be cordoned off for the construction inventory and staging needs, meaning it could be inaccessible to boaters wishing to launch their boats there for at least part of this summer.
The lake association says that water levels will be closely monitored, governed and adjusted by the MNRF Bancroft District Staff. Water level changes will take into consideration weather conditions (rainfall and or dry conditions) and work related requirements.
According to the BLA, the proposed work includes:
“Concrete Re Facing to the entire downstream side of the Overflow Spillway, Concrete Spot Repairs to the Sluiceways, raising the South Wing Wall by .5 meters (i.e the portion near the shore), Removal and Replacement of Sealant between Concrete Joints for the Spillway and Abutment area, the replacement of logs as needed and Replacement of the existing Gain Covers.
Work on the Sluices can begin starting on July 1st, and work on the Overflow Spillway can begin after July 31st. They say to note that the Tendered Contract must be finalized before any official start date can be confirmed”
The BLA says that a more specific update will be provided in their spring newsletter.