Spring Has Finally Sprung in 2019!

With the winter finally over, we have brushed the snow off of Willy and are back on the road for another year of the #WheresWilly team touring Canadian waterfalls, dams and waterpower stations. Our first stop in 2019 was a very wet and rainy one at the Marmora Generating Station on the Crowe River east of Peterborough.  This waterpower plant was constructed in 1992 at the site of a couple of old mills and adjacent to the Crowe River Conservation dam. Now is the perfect time for dam owners to be thinking about seeing how their structures fared over the long cold winter, with respect to impacts from ice, debris from the spring runoff, and washouts from high spring water...

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Willy sidelined by ATV for 2 remote sites

Our #WheresWilly team had to sideline Willy today for an ATV so we could visit a couple of more remote sites in Sequin, Ontario - Fry Lake Dam and Horn Lake Dam.  Both of these sites were very serene.  It is hard to imagine any other man made structure that could look more at one with nature, yet provide the necessary water levels for cottage country recreation and green energy generation.

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#WheresWilly team moves inside for a rainy day discussion about Dams

On Friday, our #WheresWilly team took a break from the sites and sat down with some dam owners and operators to discuss the importance of rehabilitation of aging dams, preventative maintenance, and monitoring. Too often waterpower generators get tunnel vision, focusing on the mechanical and electrical systems when it comes to budgeting for upgrades. This is understandable given their direct correlation to the financial bottom line. However, neglecting the structural elements of a facility can add up to huge repair bills and possible downtime if deterioration is left unchecked for too long. During our road trip this summer, we have seen many dams that are in desperate need of some attention. MKE and its WheresWilly team cannot stress enough the...

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Where’s Willy Now? > Elliot Falls Generating Station

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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