Always Evaluate Water Conditions and Respect Safety Signs & Barriers
As Canada Day approaches, Ontario Power Generation (OPG), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and Parks Canada Agency (PCA) want to remind residents and tourists in the Municipality of Trent Hills to take extreme caution and exercise sound judgement when around water, especially when near hydroelectric stations and dams, which can be dangerous.
The hydroelectric stations and control dams found along the Trent-Severn Waterway are capable of passing hundreds of cubic metres of water per second. River flows and water levels can change quickly, while dry spillways can become fast flowing rivers at a moment’s notice, sometimes without warning.
OPG and PCA have erected signs and barriers to restrict access to areas of the Trent River where it is not safe for recreation. An example is the area in Campbellford around OPG’s Ranney Falls Generating Station (GS) including the whitewater area just upstream of the Trent River. Despite continued warnings, some people continue to enter the area, potentially exposing themselves to extreme danger as water levels and flows can change quickly. OPG and PCA are
working with the OPP this summer to enforce these warnings.
Activities on the water can be lots of fun when done safely. The OPP, OPG and PCA want you to enjoy your summer, but always remember to stay clear, stay safe and, as we all work to reduce spread of COVID-19, stay distanced, while doing so.
Before participating in any outdoor water recreational activity, OPG is advising the public to first
visit: www.opg.com/watersafety.
QUOTES
“Public safety is of the utmost importance to us at OPG,” said OPG’s Ed Loghrin, Work Centre Manager at the Campbellford Service Centre. “Whether people are boating, swimming or fishing, we need everyone to understand the dangers of fast-moving water and respect all warning signs, fences, and other safety barriers that are in place to protect the public.”
“The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police encourage the public to heed to the safety concerns being raised, and to refrain from trespassing. Those found trespassing can be charged under the trespass to property act” says Constable Simpson, of the OPP.
“Water levels and flow can change quickly near dams on the Trent-Severn Waterway,” says David Britton, Director of Ontario Waterways for Parks Canada. “We urge the public to enjoy the outdoors safely by following signs, fences, booms, buoys and barriers at dams and along their surrounding shorelines.”
QUICK FACTS
• Despite continued warnings, some people disregard signs and barriers, putting themselves at risk. Barriers and signage are there for the public’s protection.
• OPG works with the Ontario Provincial Police to enforce these warnings, and charges can –
and have – been laid.
• Water levels and flow can change quickly near a dam. Increased water flow can cause normally dry areas to pool water with current of high velocity, which could result in a person being stranded without an escape route or swept into strong currents.
As a climate change leader and the largest electricity generator in the province, OPG and its family of companies are helping lead the charge to a post-carbon economy.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
