Main Stem - L'Orignal Bay Riverwatcher
L’Orignal bay is approximately 2 miles across at its centre and 5 miles long. Water depth ranges from 10 to 20 feet in the bay and 40 to 50 feet in the river channel. The Carillon dam built 16 miles downstream in 1963 raised and stabilized the water level in the bay and drowned the downstream rapids at Grenville, Chute-a-Blondeau, and Carillon.
The south shoreline of the bay was riprap (large rocks) laid by Hydro Quebec when they built the Carillon Dam. Most of the shoreline is now privately owned and only a few vacant lots remain around the bay. Properties shoreline are largely grassed and sloped down to the river at 20-30 degrees with the water level ranging from 1 to 3 feet. The homes around the bay are all on wells and septic systems.
L’Orignal bay is a stopover on the migration path of Canada geese and snow geese. Thousands settle in the bay for a month in the spring and fall.
The most significant threats to the river in L’Orignal Bay are:
- Run-off from farmland into creeks that empty in the bay. The water coming from those creeks after heavy rain is very turbid.
- Overflow from municipal sewage treatment plants during heavy rain events. The village of L’Orignal has its water supplied by Hawkesbury and has its own sewage treatment plant. The town of Hawkesbury, which is downstream of the bay, is currently being charged by the Minister of the Environment for failure to comply with regulations regarding the operation and maintenance of the sewage treatment plant to ensure that effluent parameters are not exceeded.
- Pollution from the thousands of geese in the spring and fall
Finally, the community is concerned about the toxic lagoon left by the CIP paper plant when they moved their facility. The lagoon was formed by building dykes between three small islands and the Ottawa River shoreline. The lagoon is currently owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the town has recently commissioned a socio-economic study with funds from the MNR to determine the best way to clean it up.
text & photos by Peter Brown
Contact
David J. Wilson by email
Philippe Brennan