BACKGROUND
The Wasdell Falls Power Corporation has recently initiated the plans for the development of a hydroelectric power station at the Wasdell Falls MNR dam (#2EC31) located on the Severn River just north of the village of Washago, Ontario. The proposed project site is located in The Township of Severn (formerly the Township of North Orillia), County of Simcoe, parts of Lots 10 & 11 Concession 18; PT 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9, as shown on Plan 51R-3000, registered March 26, 1974. The proposed facility will provide between 1.5 to 2.0 MW of total capacity and 8650 MWh annually of renewable energy. The proposed plan will allow WFPC to sell electricity to the new unregulated energy market.
On October 25, 2006 the MNR, through the Competitive Site Release (01-06) process, awarded the Applicant of Record status to the partnership of three companies; WESA Group Inc. (WESA), Ottawa Engineering Limited, and The Boake Group Ltd., to develop a waterpower facility at the Wasdell Falls MNR dam site. The award of the site by the MNR was in keeping with the Ontario government’s commitment to renewable energy. Since that time WESA (on behalf of its partners) has caused the creation of the Wasdell Falls Power Corporation specifically for the purpose of pursuing the development and ultimately owning the assets of the proposed new waterpower development at Wasdell Falls.
The facility will operate as a run-of-river project, and the new facility will be designed and co-managed along with the existing Wasdell Falls MNR dam in such a way that the existing flow regime and current operational rule curve will be strictly adhered to
Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd. and OEL-HydroSys Inc. were retained by the Wasdell Falls Power Corporation to complete the next steps in the development of the project (Category B Environmental Screening EA under the Electricity Project Regulation 116/01 made under the Environmental Assessment Act and Design Engineering Services). A formal Notice of Commencement was issued on December 14, 2007.
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NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION
The Public Open House will take place on:
Friday, August 14th from 7:00-9:00pm and Saturday August 15th from 09:30 – 11:30 am
at the WASHAGO COMMUNITY CENTRE
4361 Hamilton Street
WASHAGO, ON
Click on this link for more information: NOTICE OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION
Click on these links to download as .pdf:
Identified Issues and Resolutions (Meeting Minutes from Community Meetings held at the Washago Community Center) August 14th, 2009
Identified Issues and Resolutions (Meeting Minutes from Community Meetings held at the Washago Community Center) August 15th, 2009
October 2008: EA Planning Process Update
The consulting team met in the late winter of 2008 with the appropriate government agencies (MNR and DFO) to develop a comprehensive aquatic and terrestrial natural heritage assessment plan for the site. The decided field assessments for the project site and surrounding area were started in April and have continued through the summer months. However, due to the very wet summer, some of the more important fisheries assessments (habitat in-situ observations) that need to be conducted during low flow conditions were not completed. We were planning to host a community meeting in late August to present the results. However, due to the summer field conditions, we do not yet have a complete understanding of the potential impacts of the project on the natural environment. We feel we should go to the general public and the local community with the full picture. The study team is hoping to catch some low flow conditions this fall in order to complete this work. Once the team has gathered and examined all the required information we will meet with the community to present the results and discuss the alternative options for the site development based on these results.
For inquiries & additional information, please contact:
Bill Touzel, General Manager
Wasdell Falls Power Corporation
Tel: 613-839-3053 ext. 241
Email: btouzel@wesa.ca
Tami J. Sugarman, Environmental Assessment and Approvals Coordinator
WESA Ltd.
Tel: 613-839-3053 ext.229
Email: tsugarman@wesa.ca