Work to replace the failing Riverside Park dam isn't expected to go ahead for another five years, but newly released engineering drawings are offering residents an idea of what the new $19 million dam will look like when completed.
Council will get an update on the dam project next week, including details of a $425,000 emergency repairs added to next year's budget following a recent assessment that found the dam is "in a state in which failure is imminent and is difficult to predict."
That work will go ahead as soon as possible, starting with removal of debris buildup that's threatening the dam's integrity.
Meantime the city says the $525,000 design of the new dam is complete and permit applications are being prepared for submission. Archaeological assessments, natural environment investigations and sediment management plans are also complete.
The city approved the new dam in 2023 along with a passive management program that includes annual inspections and fixes of the old dam until the new one can be built.
Prior to presenting the draft 2025 mayor's budget this fall, the city added the dam project to 10-year capital plan, pushing the project to 2029 due to lack of funding.
An inspection of the existing dam was completed in August 2024 and shows the dam continues to deteriorate
WSP Group completed the inspection.
The 65 metre long dam, which was constructed around 1890, consists of a rubble filled core covered with a reinforced concrete shell. It has two stop log structures and a sluiceway structure located along the north retaining wall upstream of the dam.
All of it is deteriorating, exposing the core and opening the joints to erosion. Vegetation is growing through the open joints. Several large masonry blocks from the fascia are missing, and others are on the verge of falling off the structure, the report says.
Work will continue over the next few months to determine how to best complete repairs.
The design team says it will finish submitting applications to the appropriate agencies, including the Grand River Conservation Authority, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests to ensure any design changes they require are known and can be incorporated into the design prior to future construction.
The design drawings, reports, and tender documents will be filed so they can be used to restart the project when funding is available.
If approved, the new dam will be constructed in two phases about 40 meters upstream from where the existing dam is located.
It will have four operable vertical lift gates to be opened in the fall and closed in the spring. When the gates are open the river will flow freely allowing sediments to migrate down river and fish will be able to move upstream.
"When the gates are closed the headpond will provide the recreational opportunities and vistas that currently exist."
A fish ramp will be constructed on the north side of the dam that will allow fish passage when the gates are closed.
The city says the historic Indigenous use of the area will be recognized in a landscape feature.
