Construction on a pair of dams near Minden is set to start soon.
The Trent Severn Waterway and Parks Canada provided an update for Minden Hills residents on the status of the Twelve Mile Lake and Horseshoe Lake dams.
TSW say that back in February it had awarded a construction contract to Eiffage Innovative Canada Inc. The contractors will work on both dams after they were retendered together as a package.
According to TSW packaging the construction contracts will create a more efficient construction process.
The work on both dams will start after the fishing spawning window closes at both sites, and when the snow and ice fully melt in the area this spring.
Workers will start the in-water work at the Twelve Mile Lake Dam as early as May and the work on Horseshow could start at the end of July.
Parks Canada says it will be replacing the Twelve Mile Dam with a safer, more efficient one. The scope of the work includes shifting the spillways further east to upgrade its ability to pass water, as well as improving the supports and embankments at the dam.
Some of the other work includes adding new guardrails, safety booms, and increased signage for added public safety.
Work on replacing this dam was terminated in the past because of challenges in the staging process, a concern that Parks Canada says has been addressed and included in the new contract.
At the Horseshoe Lake dam, Parks Canada says work on the dam had already started. The previous contract managed to add two new piers, a new sluices with a concrete deck, a visitor area and employee parking.
With that work done, this construction phase will include adding three more sluices, permanent railings and more signage for public safety.
The federal agency says the work on Horseshoe in the past was challenging because there was an issue keeping the construction site dry, paired with the fact the water flow throughout the winter and summer of 2017 were unexpectedly high.
In terms of managing the water flow, Parks Canada says the dams are adjacent to each other on the Gull River Watershed so they will do the work in sequential order to make sure the water is managed accordingly.