| Another whack at the dam thing |
| By James Armstrong |
| Enterprise-Bulletin Special (Tue, February
6, 2000) |
| For those wanting a say in the future of Thornbury's dam
and fishlock, the Ministry of Natural Resources will be holding another
public meeting soon. |
| Kevin Hawthorne, area supervisor for the ministry's Owen
Sound District office, said the ministry plans to hold a public open house
in Thornbury on Saturday, March 3, at the Beaver Valley Community Centre. |
| However, Hawthorne said the meeting date is tentative
because he is waiting for more information. |
| Hawthorne said the meetings' format will
be similar to the Dec. 20 meeting held at the Leonard Shore Library.
At that meeting, ministry officials and representative from two consulting
firms answered residents' questions about the six options the ministry had
developed for Thornbury's dam and fishlock. |
| The six options included leaving the dam and fishlock as
is, removing both dam and fishlock or upgrading the dam and either
upgrading the fishlock or replacing it with a passive fish ladder.
The most expensive option calls for a complete upgrade of both dam and
fishlock. |
| Those attending the open house were given questionnaires
and invited to write letters to the ministry and their consultants to
express their concerns about the options and indicate the option they
prefer. All submissions were to be postmarked no later than Jan. 5. |
| The ministry and its consultants have reviewed the
responses, and the responses will be discussed at the March meeting. |
| Hawthorne said the most support is for the ministry to
remove the dam and fish ladder and restore the stream bed above the dam to
its former natural course, or for the ministry to completely upgrade the
dam with a new fishlock. This was the most expensive option, with a price tag
of more than $2 million. |
| Hawthorne noted that most of those who wanted the dam to be
retained and upgraded were against keeping the fishlock. "A
majority wanted a passive fish ladder or fishway instead." |
| A passive fish ladder consists of a series of concrete
pools, arranged like stairs ascending from a water source. Trout,
salmon and other fish can travel upstream past the dam. |
| In December, Blue Mountains council was approached by a
delegation concerned about removing the dam. Council has said it
will not make a decision until it has more information. |
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