Dam Removals

Dams - their purpose, then and now!

Saugeen Conservation owns and operates 3 dams. There are at least 50 other privately owned dams in the watershed.

Settlers built dams in the 1850s during the settlement times of our watershed. They constructed dams to create power to saw logs and to grind up grains for flour. Unfortunately, most dams do not serve a purpose now.

A small number of dams have been retrofitted to supply hydro power for personal use or for the hydro grid.

Dam locations:

To locate SVCA dams, visit this interactive map of Ontario dams.
View the Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure page for more information.

What are the benefits of dams?

There are benefits that dams can provide:

Flood management
Raising low water levels
Recreation
Frazil ice control
Water supply
Habitat creation
Historical value
Hydro power production

Many of the dams built decades ago need ongoing repairs to stay in good working order. Dams create a barrier in a stream or creek. They are not good for the general health of the river, its ecosystem, and the watershed.

Why do we want to remove dams from creeks and rivers in our watershed?

Remove a barrier or blockage along a creek or river.
Improve temperature of the water – cooling it down, making it better for fish.
Allow native fish and other aquatic life to move through the system.
Improve the oxygen levels in the water for aquatic life.
Balance out the movement of sediment and nutrients to downstream areas of the stream.
Reduce erosion downstream.
Improvement of ecosystem health in the stream corridor and its watershed.
Improve aquatic habitat.

Examples of dams removed in our watershed:

Arran Elderslie - SVCA owned Lockerby Dam (North Saugeen River)

The Lockerby Dam on the North Saugeen River only served as a recreational dam with no flood control. We purchased this dam in 1970.
This dam was a barrier to fish and other aquatic life.
We removed the dam in 2015 with financial support from the following agencies:
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans
- Bruce Power
- Community Foundations Grey Bruce
- Stewardship Grey Bruce

Lockerby Dam Before Photo Lockerby dam after photo

Before and after removal

South Bruce - Teeswater Co-op dam (Teeswater River)

Work to remove this dam and restore the reservoir followed a critical failure of the dam.
This was done because it was in a very poor structural state.

South Bruce - Mildmay Hamel Dam (Otter Creek)

In 2016 we assisted South Bruce to get funding for this project. The funding came from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We used the funding to remove the Hamel dam on Otter Creek, located immediately west of Hwy 9.
The dam was no longer serving any function. It had deteriorated and was at risk of failure, releasing a lot of sediment downstream. This was affecting the watercourse and its habitat.
The project included the rehabilitation of the stream corridor. It also included planting of trees and shrubs.

Grey Highlands - Markdale - County Road 12 structure (Armstrong Creek)

A structure controlled this dam under Grey Road 12.

Rainfall in January of 2008 caused damage to the boards in the control structure. This resulted in a decision not to replace them.

The result reduced the water levels upstream of County Road 12. It also allowed the stream to find its natural pathway through the former reservoir sediment.

Grey Highlands - Markdale swimming pond dam (Armstrong Creek)

The Markdale Rotary Park swimming pond dam was built in the 1950’s and served many years as the local swimming area for children, where swimming lessons were taught.
Over the years usage lessened and the need for the dam was no longer warranted.
Together with the Municipality of Grey Highlands, SVCA partnered with the agencies below to remove the old dam and restore the reservoir:

Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Markdale Rotary Club
Happy Trout Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada
Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks
Stewardship Grey Bruce

Grey Highlands - Markdale town pond dam (Armstrong Creek)

Downstream of the Markdale Rotary Park swimming pond dam, the Municipality of Grey Highlands owned the Town Pond dam.
Over several years, the dam control structure and the banks had weakened.
Water from the stream frequently by-passed the dam and created gullies along its east side.
In 2019-2020, with funding secured by SVCA from Bruce Power, the Municipality of Grey Highlands, assisted by Trout Unlimited Canada, worked to remove the dam structure and create a channel that would be accessible by fish.

Grey Highlands - Priceville dam (Main Saugeen River)

Saugeen Conservation staff worked with the local municipality to restore the area around the old dam structure on the Main Saugeen River in Priceville.

Brockton - Walkerton partial removal of the Truax dam (Main Saugeen River)

The Municipality of Brockton together with Bruce Power and the Lake Huron Fishing Club removed a portion of the Truax dam on the Main Saugeen River in Walkerton.
The original length of the dam was 110m and the work removed took out a section around 60 metres long.
SVCA provided some technical support around the removal activity. The Truax dam was a century old dam; the concrete components of the dam were crumbling and water was flowing through the structure.
Brockton took action to reduce the risk of failure with a partial removal.