Questions & Answers

A. The Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 plays an important role in the City of Peterborough, and is an integral part of the Trent-Severn system. The dam at Lock 19 is one link in a chain of dams across Ontario that help Parks Canada to manage water, achieving a variety of objectives including navigation, mitigation of flooding, and the protection of the environment. Within Peterborough, the dam helps to regulate upstream and downstream water levels, including Little Lake. A role of this dam and others is significant on the function of the Trent-Severn Waterway system and consequently the waterside economy of Peterborough, and the quality of life that Peterborough citizens enjoy.

A. Engineering inspections had identified the declining condition of the Scotts Mills Dam structure. Scouring at the base of the dam due to the undertow effect had worked to undermine the dam’s structural integrity, and concrete strength inspections showed deterioration beyond what was deemed acceptable. While the dam as it stood did not pose an imminent risk to public safety, these factors indicated that it had neared the end of its useful life, and a replacement project was initiated.

A. Information about this or any ongoing, major works along the Trent-Severn Waterway can be found at www.pc.gc.ca/tswInfrastucture. To receive updates about projects in your area by e-mail, subscribe by reaching out to pc.trentsevern.pc@canada.ca. Or, follow on Twitter or Facebook @trentsevernnhs.

A. The dam’s location in the middle of an urban area makes construction very complex and logistically challenging. Parks Canada and our partners at Public Service and Procurement Canada have made every effort to plan a project that reduces impact on the neighbourhood, while balancing the varied risks involved in not completing work in a timely manner. Parks Canada’s efforts to reduce impact on the community have included:

• Engaging with local schools early on in the project to ensure that the impact of construction on traveling student’s parents will be reduced.
• Planning a construction traffic route that runs in one direction only to reduce the impact on traffic, and ensuring that flag staff are managing sidewalks around the construction site itself.
• Providing ongoing construction updates to residents, and engaging on a regular basis in an effort to reduce impacts like noise and lighting.
• Encouraging the contractor to expedite work and reduce the length of the project; for example, by preparing for subsequent phases concurrent with construction of the new dam.
• In 2020, switching to a different type of piling system in an effort to reduce both noise and time.
• Offering pre-construction surveys of homes to residents residing within 100m of the construction site.
• Placing vibration and noise monitors at the site, and monitoring data based on industry best-practices.
• Ensuring the installation of hording at the site to reduce construction noise.

A. Significant thought was given to the project’s schedule and hours of work during its planning, taking into consideration community impact, as well as the necessity of the structure and the complicated nature of its replacement. Municipal bylaws state “Construction noise within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling is limited to between the hours of 7 A.M. to 9 P.M. daily, or noon to 9 P.M. Sundays”. While Parks Canada is not required to adhere to municipal bylaws for construction noise, contractors on other Parks Canada projects on the Trent-Severn and its reservoirs have been instructed to adhere to local bylaws and provincial regulations in principle.

Parks Canada has, throughout the project thus far, noted the community’s concerns regarding the hours of work at the site. Though Parks Canada originally provided guidance allowing the contractor to work outside of the municipal bylaws, the tender for the work was adjusted to specify that activities generating heavy construction noise will fall within the hours specified in the Municipal By-law pertaining to construction noise. Additional, less noise generating activities may continue beyond these hours.

This is with two exceptions, noting that the hours of work have an impact on the ability to deliver the project on time and on budget: 1) allow construction noise generating activities as early as 9:00 A.M. on Sundays, 2) the hours for noise generating activities may change if required, to allow the project to meet the established schedule.

A. The replacement of the dam at Lock 19 is easily one of the most complex projects on the Trent-Severn Waterway as a part of this program of work. It is imperative that Parks Canada maintain an ability to manage water through the dam during construction so that we can continue to mitigate upstream and downstream flood risk; including within the City of Peterborough itself, as there could be impacts to the outflows of the storm sewer system and Jackson Creek. For this reason, the dam is being constructed in phases, allowing water to pass through while construction continues. In addition, residents may see reduced work at the construction site during some spring and summer months. This is both to accommodate fish spawning timelines and to maximize flow capacity during the spring melt.

A. In the initial phase of the project, the contractor faced delays as they adjusted the means and methods of their work to better suit the site conditions. For instance, a change to H-piles from O-piles in the construction of the cofferdam increased the installation rate significantly once the change was made.

Although the contractor and construction manager worked to shift construction methods and project phasing to re-plan the project in a way that would reduce schedule slippage, some unavoidable delays have occurred.

A. The replacement of the dam at Lock 19 is easily one of the most complex projects on the Trent-Severn Waterway as a part of this program of work. It is imperative that Parks Canada maintain an ability to manage water through the dam during construction so that we can continue to mitigate upstream and downstream flood risk; including within the City of Peterborough itself, as there could be impacts to the outflows of the storm sewer system and Jackson Creek. For this reason, the dam is being constructed in phases, allowing water to pass through while construction continues. In addition, residents have noticed reduced work at the construction site during the spring and into the summer; this is both to accommodate fish spawning timelines and to maximize flow capacity during the spring melt.