After a couple of days of rest, the #WheresWilly team is back on the road, this time in Bracebridge on Muskoka River at the 2.6 MW High Falls waterpower station originally built in 2947, then expanded in 2005. A true case of old meets new!
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Yesterday was another busy day for the WheresWilly crew. We hit 4 dams including Whitefish, Haines, and Martin Lakes than swung by Bala to have a quick look a the new waterpower station being built at the existing dam there. After a whirlwind week in beautiful Parry Sound/Sequin/Muskoka, we headed to Port Carling to relax on the deck overlooking Lake Muskoka and had dinner at the Muskoka classic "Turtle Jacks". MKE started the WheresWilly road trip blog to catalog a busy summer of dam inspections our team has been tasked with doing throughout Ontario's cottage country in the summer/fall of 2018. In addition to inspections on these facilities, we are visiting other dams, local sites and businesses in the area...
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What a day for the WheresWilly team! We conquered 6 dams in one day, covering Parry Sound and Sequin areas and including one waterpower station at Cascade Street. These dams are vital to the area by supporting renewable energy and controlling water levels for recreation and fisheries. We ended the day at Jimmy's in McKellan for some Kawartha ice cream, then on to Otter Lake for some supper and a swim. Tomorrow we will be staying in Sequin and Muskoka for anther 3 dams, starting with Whitefish Dam near Rosseau. No rest for Willy till Saturday.
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The WheresWilly gang took a trip through the middle of the Minden Generating Station's overflow weir, via its inspection tunnel. We also had an underwater inspection completed in conjunction with the regular trashrack cleaning. This 1935 structure generates over 4.4 MW and is located on the Gull River.
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Willy and the team area back on the road this week starting off at beautiful Swift Rapids Generation Station at Lock 43 on the Trent Severn Waterpower north-west of Orillia, Ontario. Its been supplying 8 MW of homegrown, renewable, waterpower for 101 years courtesy of Orillia Power. Can you find Willy? Hint he is on the other bank. Follow us on our road trip through Ontario cottage country at #WheresWilly on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Willy and the MKE team visited the Elliot Falls waterpower facility on the Gull River in Kawartha Lakes as part of our 2018 #WheresWilly road trip. This plant was originally built in the early 1900's to power a nearby cement factor, decommissioned in 1928 then redeveloped in 1990 to provide 700 kW of homegrown, green energy to Ontario's power grid. MKE have been retained to complete a structural inspection of the facility and design a comprehensive maintenance and rehabilitation plan. We will also be assisting the new owners, Bracebridge Generation, with the preparation of the required dam documentation for its dam safety program.
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The MKE team is hitting the road this summer in its new Jeep we have named "Willy". Follow us over the next few weeks and months as we visit waterfalls, waterpower sites and all "dam" things throughout Ontario's cottage country. We will be exploring Ontario's #homegrown green electricity and its many auxiliary benefits for its host communities. In addition, we will providing information about everything you ever wanted to know about waterpower or hydroelectricity but were afraid to ask. To join us on this quest, check back here regularly or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook "MKETweeter" and see if you can guess #WheresWilly. #WheresWilly
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Aging Ontario Hydraulic Structures Need Some TLC Dams and Hydraulic Structures are often the forgotten "wall flowers" of a typical waterpower facility during budget time compared to their more "sexy" cousins the mechanical and electrical systems. However, the fact remains, the vast majority of Ontario's hydraulic infrastructure was built more than 60 years ago, and many are over 100 years old. While these structures were robustly designed, it is doubtful the original designers expected them to still be around in 2017 without systematic maintenance programs. Unfortunately, these programs have been somewhat lacking for many structures over the last few decades. Ontario's hydraulic structures are asked to withstand not only their loading, but the wide range of weather experienced in...
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Heavy Civil Structures: Given their robust nature, it is easy for private owners of hydraulic structures / dams and waterpower facilities to ignore, or at least minimize the preventative maintenance effort and cost for these structures, especially if there are more pressing budget concerns relating to mechanical or electrical elements. However, concrete hydraulic structures in Ontario are exposed to very severe conditions and experience continued, degenerative deterioration over their lifespan. If this deterioration is not addressed, it can quickly lead to: safety issues for staff and the public, regulatory issues with respect to non-compliant environmental practices, water infiltration through the structure that can expedite deterioration, larger, more expensive repairs, forced shut downs of the facility to accommodate larger repairs. Identifying the...
Read MoreWe are pleased to announced that we have recently made some strategic partnerships allowing us to broaden our Renewable Energy Services to Water, Wind and Solar Power to include: Preventative Maintenance Planning Operation and Maintenance assistance and training Asset Management Contact us to discuss how we can help you with your unique needs.
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