Burgess 1 Dam Environmental Assessment Study

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Public Information Centre | Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study Burgess 1 Dam

The Township of Muskoka Lakes has initiated a Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for the replacement or rehabilitation of the Burgess 1 Dam facility located in Bala, Ontario.

Did you know?

Did you know that the Township owns and operates (under contract) a dam called the Burgess 1 Dam located north of the North Bala Falls Dam and west of Muskoka Road 169 between Portage Street and River Street. It was constructed between 1917 and 1922 and was purchased by the Ontario Power Commission in 1929 who operated the dam until 1957. The Township purchased the dam in 1963 and in recent years the Township has leased it to various companies who have operated it as an active hydroelectric generating station. The Township has retained the services of Tulloch Engineering to conduct a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Burgess 1 Dam facility.

Notice of Study Completion - Project File

The Township of Muskoka Lakes completed an environmental assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act to identify the preferred method of improvement for the Burgess 1 Dam. The preferred alternative solution is to rehabilitate the dam and rehabilitate power generating ability of the facility.

The final project was posted for comments in the winter of 2022. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks provided feedback and requested an update to the executive summary and Project File Report. Updates to the report include a more thorough summary of the studies conducted for the report as well as the preliminary design package for the preferred alternative solution. The updated final project file has been provided below and is open for comment period of 30 days.

View the Final Project File

  • The preferred alternative solution is to rehabilitate the dam and rehabilitate power generating ability of the facility.

Public Information Centre | Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study Burgess 1 Dam

The Township of Muskoka Lakes has initiated a Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for the replacement or rehabilitation of the Burgess 1 Dam facility located in Bala, Ontario.

Did you know?

Did you know that the Township owns and operates (under contract) a dam called the Burgess 1 Dam located north of the North Bala Falls Dam and west of Muskoka Road 169 between Portage Street and River Street. It was constructed between 1917 and 1922 and was purchased by the Ontario Power Commission in 1929 who operated the dam until 1957. The Township purchased the dam in 1963 and in recent years the Township has leased it to various companies who have operated it as an active hydroelectric generating station. The Township has retained the services of Tulloch Engineering to conduct a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Burgess 1 Dam facility.

Notice of Study Completion - Project File

The Township of Muskoka Lakes completed an environmental assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act to identify the preferred method of improvement for the Burgess 1 Dam. The preferred alternative solution is to rehabilitate the dam and rehabilitate power generating ability of the facility.

The final project was posted for comments in the winter of 2022. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks provided feedback and requested an update to the executive summary and Project File Report. Updates to the report include a more thorough summary of the studies conducted for the report as well as the preliminary design package for the preferred alternative solution. The updated final project file has been provided below and is open for comment period of 30 days.

View the Final Project File

  • The preferred alternative solution is to rehabilitate the dam and rehabilitate power generating ability of the facility.

  • Notice of Study Completion

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    Township of Muskoka Lakes

    Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study

    Burgess 1 Dam

    NOTICE OF COMPLETION

    The Township of Muskoka Lakes has completed a Schedule B Class Environmental Assessment in order to identify the preferred alternative for the replacement or rehabilitation of the Burgess 1 Dam Facility located in Bala, Ontario.

    Based on the findings of the study, the preferred alternative solution is to rehabilitate the dam and rehabilitate power generating ability of the facility. The study was completed following the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Process. A Virtual Public Information Centre was held between July and September of 2020 on the Engage Muskoka Lakes web page. A Class EA Project File Report documenting the various components of the study and the preferred alternative solution has been prepared and is available on the Engage Muskoka Lakes web page at the highlighted URL below.

    www.engagemuskokalakes.ca

    Alternatively:

    If you are unable to access the online document or do not have access to the Town of Muskoka Lakes website, you may request a hard copy form of the report to be sent via mail to your address for review and comment at the address provided below:

    Interested persons should present written comments to the following address by January 16, 2023:

    Erik Giles, P. Eng.

    Consultant Project Manager
    TULLOCH Engineering
    80 Main Street West
    Huntsville, ON
    P1H 1W9
    burgess.ea@TULLOCH.ca
    Phone (705) 789-7851

    If concerns regarding the project cannot be resolved through discussion with the Municipality, you may request the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (in writing) to issue a “Part II Order” under the Environmental Assessment Act to change the status of the project from a Class EA to an individual EA, the Part II Order Request instructions can be found on the MECP website at the link below

    https://www.ontario.ca/page/class-environmental-assessments-section-16-order

    Requests must be received by the Minister and the Director of Environmental Assessment Branch at the following addresses by January 16, 2023:

    Minister Director

    Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
    777 Bay Street, 5th Floor
    Toronto, Ontario
    M7A 2J3
    Minister.mecp@ontario.ca

    Environmental Assessment Branch
    Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
    135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1st Floor
    Toronto, Ontario
    M4V 1P5
    EABDirector@ontario.ca


    A copy of the request must be sent to the Township of Muskoka Lakes. If no request is received by January 9, 2023, the project can proceed to design and construction, as outlined in the Project File Report, when funding is allocated by the Municipality.

    Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record

Page last updated: 16 Dec 2022, 02:39 PM