Accessibility and Access Keys [0]

Skip to Content [1]

Main stem - Chat Falls Riverwatcher

LOCAL ISSUES
Fish death in August 2006
Chats Dam Boat Bypass

Area:

The Chats Falls area spans both sides of the Fitzroy (Chats Falls) Dam on the Ottawa River. Upstream from the dam, Morris Island Conservation area and Black Bay on the Quebec side, along Lavergne Point and Bay, up past the Mississippi River and Marshall’s Bay, past the Madawaska at Arnprior to Norway Bay/Pine Lodge (Quebec side) and Sand Bay (Ontario side) area and beyond to Chenaux Dam at Portage-du-Fort are the upriver limits of the area. Downstream from the dam, the area is limited by Fitzroy Harbour and Quyon on the Quebec shore. This area includes 5 rivers which dump into the Ottawa – the Bonnechere, the Madawaska, the Mississippi, and the Carp on the Ontario side and the Quyon River on the Quebec side. Since 2005, riverwatchers have been observing the River from the Ontario shore.

History, Improvements and Status:

The River changed dramatically in 1930 after the Chats Falls Dam was built. At that time, the Morris Island area was criss-crossed with logging roads. The Gillies Mill, which began operation as a steam sawmill in 1873 was run until 1963, then sold and operated at a lesser level until about 1999. From 1806 onward, river life in this area centred around the mills and the creation, running and dismantling of square timber rafts to float the huge pine logs to Quebec City for transport to Europe. The Lady Colborne steamboat began regular trips carrying passengers from the busy port of Fitzroy Harbour to Ottawa in 1833. The original government dock is still there. The 185 hectare Fitzroy Provincial Park is situated on the Ontario shore of the Ottawa just below the dam and has become a very popular spot for tent and trailer campers.

Chat Fall Riverwatcher
ORK
Pat Tait is an active Chat Falls Riverwatcher
above the Chat Falls Dam

Changes to the river system have been significant over the past twenty years– and in many ways, the river is healthier now than it was. This improvement is due to the closure of Gillies Mill; a new modern sewage plant built by the Town of Arnprior in 2003-4; and better sewage treatment in Carleton Place, Pakenham, and Almonte (villages along the shore of the Mississippi). The cancellation of the double-decker ferry service at Sand Bay/Norway Bay in the mid 60s has also helped the ecology of the river. Because the river had been used as a logging transport route for almost two hundred years, and the Gillies Mill and others were in full operation for most of that time, the river bottom is littered with old logs, sawdust and byproducts of the industry. To add to this, two railway lines were built in the early 1900s. Both lines connected the logging camps and other industry of the Upper Ottawa Valley to Ottawa and Montreal along the Ontario side. One line converges towards the river and crosses just above Portage du Fort to access the mines at Bristol and the logging mills along the Quebec shores. From this bridge to the bridge at Morris Island, the river is hemmed in by a railway line on either side. The railways gained popularity as the main mode of transport in the early 1900s and continued until the 80s.

Issues :

  1. The fish kill observed during the summer of 2006 has been followed closely by our riverwatchers. For more info on this event, please click here
  2. One of the main issues for the Chats Falls Riverwatcher was the creation of the boat bypass around the Chats Falls Dam by the City of Ottawa and a private developer, Ottawa River Project Inc. (ORPI). The Boat bypass was opened to boaters in the summer 2006 with the upper launch site in Lavergne Bay and the lower site just below the Quyon Ferry dock. The capability of the bypass could entice much larger/heavier boat traffic on this portion of the river – but to date the impact has been fairly small. Those who do use the bypass launches are urged to use extreme caution in Lavergne Bay – especially near the ecologically sensitive islet as the bay bottom is both shallow and rocky.
  3. A cable ferry is proposed to replace the current ferry service at Quyon/Mohr’s Landing. This would permit more vehicles and larger trucks per trip to cross the river. The mordernization of the ferry will require many permits and studies:
    1. geo-technical studies will be required to assess the maximum load capacity of the shore with the access ramp and heavy vehicles weight,
    2. a bathymetric study will be required to assess the possible accumulation of sediments caused by the turbulence of the nearby Quyon River,
    3. a complete environmental assessment is required (bathymetry, impact on flora and fauna, socio-economic aspects, etc.).,
    4. project has to demonstrate that measures are taken to avoid the fish habitat destruction.
  4. Once a very popular cottage area, both sides of the river have seen a major upswing in construction of permanent riverside homes. As well, the industrial growth of towns such as Pembroke, Renfrew (on the Bonnechere) and Arnprior (at the juncture of the Madawaska and the Ottawa) have left the river open to possible harm and the need for concerned stewardship becomes even more important. The Nuclear Plant at Chalk River and SRB in Pembroke are two examples of industrial plants that bear close scrutiny.
  5. Finally, an emerging issue is the creation of a new island downstream from the mouth of the Quyon River on the Quebec shore. Siltation from the re-directed Quyon River has caused the formation of an underwater sandbar which is uncharted and growing out into the Ottawa River. The high siltation from the Quyon River is probably due to the diversion of water in the tributary.

Contact:

Pat Tait Ph. 613-623-2002 Email

Mike Ryan Ph. 613-623-0642 Email


Print this page - Email this page