Orillia Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) is proposing a hydroelectric generating station on the Gull River, which would affect the Minden Wild Water Preserve, a recognized world-class destination for whitewater paddlers in southern Ontario. The Minden Wild Water Preserve hosted the 2015 Pan Am slalom events, which took place July 18-19, 2015.
The proposal is still in the preliminary stages and a community meeting was held on July 16.
A world-class facility
“The primary concern for Whitewater Ontario (WO) is that we retain paddler access and flows that allow paddling essentially unchanged from the situation today,” says Steve Pomeroy, vice president at WO, an advocacy group. “Orillia Power has indicated that it would accept and respect access and flow conditions.”
While WO owns and operates the Minden White Water Preserve, some of the land the preserve exists on is leased from Orillia Power.
“An important consideration is that Orillia Power owns part of our preserve property and the lower half of the river section used for whitewater paddling. WO leases this property from Orillia Power. Rather than immediately reject the proposal outright, in part because Orillia Power is our landlord, we indicated that we were prepared to discuss the proposal and explore if it was feasible to build a power generating station without significantly impacting the role of the preserve as a paddling resource,” adds Pomeroy.
According to WO, Orillia Power has proposed a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a way to start formal discussion. “The MOU includes suggested financial compensation,” says Pomeroy, “both to offset the inconvenience of construction and loss of campsite revenues, and as an ongoing annual contribution, which would provide a modest income to WO to help support our activities.” Financial details have not been finalized. WO will also seek to ensure that use of the river for commercial users, such as the AOB Boatwerks paddle school, is preserved.
Orillia Power seeks to balance interests
Orillia Power is aiming to enhance the facilities, while balancing the interests of many users groups, including local homeowners, fishermen, tourists and paddlers, says Orillia Power president, Keith McAllister.
“Right now we have an open mind and want to make sure we work with everyone,” says McAllister, adding that he welcomes paddler input. “You’re the expert, you run this water and love it—tell us what you love about it and what kind of conditions you’d like it to have to meet your needs.”
No guarantees given to paddlers
Not everyone is convinced however, including local paddler, Paul Brittain, who describes himself as “skeptical.”
Brittain attended the town hall meeting on July 16 and says, “We weren’t given any guarantees about future flows and told it’s all a work in progress.” He added that many paddlers voiced concerns that in the future they might not know when to expect flows, and that the need to generate power could trump paddlers’ needs for the finite resource.
“Where are we going to go? If the water doesn’t run down the Gull and you’re a southern Ontario boater, where will you go?” asked Brittain. “Our world will shrink.”
If Orillia Power succeeds in moving ahead with the project an environmental assessment will follow. The new generating facility would have the capacity to provide 1,200 to 1,500 homes with power each year, according to OPGC.
“If this goes through I might be walking the Gull with my grandkids saying to them, ‘there used to be a great whitewater river here but now they make power,’” worries Brittain.
What is proposed
The proposed generating facility includes:
- A water intake constructed just above Horseshoe Lake Dam (on the east bank of the Gull River)
- A 330 metre long underground, low pressure penstock pipe (4 metre diameter, approximate)
- A 200 metre long open canal
- A powerhouse and 30 metre long tailrace (returning water to the Gull River)
There will also be an access road utilizing existing roads on the site where possible which would lead from Bethel Road to the powerhouse. The Horseshoe Lake Dam and water rights are owned by the federal government (Parks Canada – Trent Severn Waterway).
Make your voice heard
Have a question or concern? Learn about the project at www.mindeniigs.ca and contact Orillia Power at [email protected] and Whitewater Ontario at info @ whitewaterontario.ca.
