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Water control structures were first constructed on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the mid 1800s, predominantly for timber or grist mill purposes. Around the turn of the century many of these structures fell apart as timber became scarce. Between 1910 and 1920, hydro generation began to become the mainstay of water control structure developments as several plants were constructed and many other dams were built to use as water supply for those dams. From approximately 1950 to 1965, development in the form of cottages boomed and again changed the nature of the operation of the water control structures within the watershed. In 1968 Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) was born, with its primary mandate to reduce/prevent flood damages and loss of life through flood forecasting and warning, plan input and development controls and, over time, the operation of existing water control structures throughout the watershed.
Currently there are in excess of 30 water control structures in operation on the main Mississippi River and its tributaries, with remnants of another 20 or so still visible. Of those 30 dams, MVC owns and or operates 19 of them. There are currently five hydro generation structures on the Mississippi River, which are the only dams on the main river which MVC does operate. MVC has developed operating guidelines for all its structures to try to ensure the most effective and coordinated operation of the structures as a whole is achieved. Water control structures currently owned and operated by MVC include: (Click link below for photo) Shabomeka Lake Dam Mazinaw Lake Dam Kashwakamak Lake Dam Big Gull Lake Dam Mississagagon Lake Dam Farm Lake Dam Pine Lake Dam Bennett Lake Dam Widow Lake Dam Lanark Dam Carleton Place Dam Water control structures owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources and operated by MVC include: (Click link below for photo) Summit Lake Dam Mosque Lake Weir Palmerston Lake Dam Canonto Lake Dam Malcolm Lake Dam Clayton Lake Dam Water control structures owned by Evergreen Energy (formerly Ontario Hydro) and stoplog operations undertaken by MVC include: (Click link below for photo) Crotch Lake Dam High Falls Generating Station Other generating stations on the Mississippi River which are run-of-the-river type structures (they generate power based on whatever flows exist in the river and do not have a substantial reservoir to augment those flows) and MVC has no involvement with include: Appleton Generating Station Enerdu Generating Station Almonte Generating Station Galetta Generating Station MVC also owns and maintains additional flood and erosion control structures including: Carp River Channelization Works MacLarens Landing Slope Stabilization Works |
