After a seasonal hiatus, construction of the Latchford Dam is set to start up again this June, and is on track to be completed by the end of the year.
The $25.7-million project, which began last spring, involves the construction of a new dam with 14 gates with stoplogs to control water levels, a mechanical gate for more precise water control, a deck open to the public, and access and parking areas on both banks.
Patrice Deneault, the project manager, who works for Ontario Public Works and Government Services Canada, said the project is on time and within budget.
“Last summer, we were able to complete the construction of half of the new dam, so at the site right now, we have half of the new dam constructed, with half of the old dam demolished,” he said.
“So, we were able to remain on scope, which was to complete half the dam in 2015.”
Construction slowed down during the winter months, although crews did complete some work on a service building that’s being constructed on the north side of the dam, Deneault said. Final landscaping is scheduled for late 2016.
“We’re not able to come back in the river before June 2,” Deneault said. “There are two reasons: there’s the (pickerel) spawning, and there’s also our water management operation with regards to freshet (the flow of water resulting from spring thaw). If freshet is going well, we will be able to start back construction on June 2.”
Latchford Mayor George Lefebvre said the town of just under 400 people is eager to see this project move ahead, since reconstruction of the 1913 structure has been on the books since 2012, after the dam was first identified as being in a failing state in the 1990s.
“The dam itself is critical for us; it not only controls the levels of the water in Bay Lake, but it’s an important recreational watershed,” Lefebvre said. “Further, it’s the source for the Latchford municipal water supply, so we’re really anxious to see this job completed and finally properly operational.”
Lefebvre is, however, critical of the project, since the town hasn’t seen any financial benefits it anticipated it would from the project.
The tender for the construction work was awarded to Quebec-based Construction Demathieu & Bard and most workers were brought in to Latchford. Locally, only one tradesperson and one cleaning person were hired for the project.
“We expected this was going to be quite a boon to the municipality while the project was occurring,” Lefebvre said. “It’s a $25.7-million project in a town of 400 people: that’s significant.”
The town had hoped to make 1 per cent of the value of the project, or $257,000, for its coffers. Instead, the project has largely continued on around the town without its input or assistance.
Aside from the concerns about participation, the town is also worried about the impact of construction on the nearby pickerel spawning area. Lefebvre recalls that, on more than one occasion, “great quantities of heavily sedimented water” were released into the construction site.
“It was catastrophic, as far as I’m concerned,” Lefebvre said. “They deny this is happening.”
But Deneault said the company has taken measures to protect the spawning area, even going so far as to enhance the area with a new spawning bed.
“The contractor built an enhanced spawning area on the downstream side of the dam for fish, and we will be monitoring that for the next couple of years to see if this minor project, as part of the bigger project, was successful,” he said.
This will be a permanent fixture in the river, and, if successful, should help with better productivity of the fish, he added.
Lefebvre remains skeptical, but is in close communication with the assistant deputy minister’s office to keep abreast of the project’s status.
In the meantime, Latchford and its neighbours — Temiskaming First Nation, Temagami First Nation, and the Township of Coleman — are awaiting the announcement of the next intake for the provincial Feed-in Tariff program with the hope of installing a power-generation project on the dam. Revenues would be shared by the partners.
