The manager of the Smoky Falls generating station dam safety project north of Kapuskasing says they are nearing the finish line and hit the 89 per cent completion mark recently.
Zac Brandt from Ontario Power Generation says that the over 100 year old structure needed a major overhaul to continue safe operation.
“Were going to close the end of the life degraded unused gates and spillways that are used to pass water, and what we have done there is poured concrete plugs across the existing dam and we have done is provided new operational sluice gates,” he said.
Brandt says most of the heavy equipment as well as housing where nearly 350 workers stayed in during peak construction time has been removed off site and they’re replanting some vegetation known to the area and the indigenous community to help rehabilitate the site.
Brandt, who noted that a significant amount of money was spent in the area.
“Spent about 3.2 million dollars in the community – a significant portion goes to Val Rita and Moonbeam Machine Shops, so overall we have had excellent support from vendors available in the Kapuskasing Hearst, Smooth Rock area,” he noted.
