Springbank Dam. Photo by Miranda Chant, BlackburnNews.comSpringbank Dam. Photo by Miranda Chant, BlackburnNews.com
London

Springbank Dam Unlikely To Be Fixed

Endangered species that call the Thames River home could help seal the fate of the Springbank Dam.

An update on the One River environmental assessment of the Thames, spanning from the dam to the Forks of the Thames and Harris Park, is slated to go to the Civic Works Committee at city hall on Tuesday. In it, city staff note several at-risk species have flourished in the waters since the dam went out of commission in 2006.

"The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has identified ten species at risk in the One River study area. Six of the documented species at risk are listed as “Endangered” under the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, including the Spiny softshell turtle, Queensnake, and Salamander mussel," the report reads.

The presence of the at-risk and endangered marine life would make getting the appropriate permits to repair the dam both difficult and expensive.

Comments from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are included in the report.

Among the most damning remarks from the government and environmental bodies states "permit requirements for the option of reinstating the Springbank Dam are considered substantially more complex and significantly more difficult to obtain or unlikely to be approved when compared with the option of a free-flowing river."

The city is examining which is the best course of action for the Springbank Dam - repairing the structure, leaving it broken, or removing it entirely.

The dam has been out of operation since 2006 when work on a multi-million dollar upgrade began. During testing of the upgrade in 2008, the dam malfunctioned when bolts attaching one of the four new gates and its hinge snapped.

The malfunction that left the dam inoperable prompted the city to launch a $5-million lawsuit against the contractors in April 2009. The lawsuit was settled in the fall of 2015 with the city receiving $3.775-million, while no party admitted to being liable.

Unlike other area dams, the Springbank Dam is not used to control flood levels. It's function is strictly recreational.

The busted dam has long divided Londoners. Many rowers, kayakers, and dragonboat racers support the fix, while environmental groups and their allies have pointed to the river’s improved health as a reason for the dam to remain inoperable. More than 100 people spoke on the issue at a public participation meeting that wore on for nearly eight hours in March.

Londoners will have another chance to weigh in on the topic at public information sessions scheduled for October 18 and 19.

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