Jan 30, 2017

Trent Hills, Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site

The Trent-Severn Waterway is an historic transportation route from Lake Ontario at the Bay of Quinte to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, which has evolved into the lakes, locks, rivers and canals that we recognize today. It continues to connect communities and people, and provide opportunities for recreation and economic benefit while also providing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species.

Since 2015, Government of Canada has announced more than $600 million of work along the Trent-Severn that will allow today’s visitors, their children, and even their grandchildren, to continue to form their own connections to this special place.

As a part of this historic re-investment, major work is planned to rehabilitate the dams and locks at Campbellford Lock 13 and Crowe Bay Lock 14 in the municipality of Trent Hills. This work as a whole will ensure that the structures are reliable, meet current safety codes and standards, and that the water management capabilities of the dam are optimized.

So many components go into each of Parks Canada’s projects, and this one is no different – largely unseen but valuable preparation work is already underway that will ensure the best possible outcome. Contractors were onsite in December 2016 to conduct inspections, topographical survey work, and bathymetry. All of this information will be used in the final design of the project.

Last week (the week of January 23), geotechnical work using a drill rig has begun at both Campbellford Lock 13, Crowe Bay Lock 14, and the dams associated with those sites. This investigative work is expected to last two to three weeks.

Geotechnical work provides important information about the composition and integrity of soils and other materials like concrete, which is used to plan the design of projects and structures. There are many ways of obtaining this information: test pits dug with an excavator, boreholes in earth or rock using drill rig and auger, concrete core sampling with a smaller drill rig or portable system, or even seizmic sounding line.

How to stay informed:
For information about this or other infrastructure projects in your area, please visit www.pc.gc.ca/tswTrentHills or www.pc.gc.ca/tswInfrastructure
For questions or concerns, or to receive email updates regarding this project, please contact us at Ont.TrentSevern@pc.gc.ca and include “Campbellford” in the subject heading.
Or, stay up-to-date on construction projects, boating activities and events, and general canal-i-pedia by following our social media channels: Twitter: @trentsevernnhs, Facebook: /trentsevernnhs .