The long-awaited reconstruction of the Drimmie Dam is about to begin.
Xterra Construction Inc. of Kitchener, the contractor on the $1.2 million project, has started to prepare its staging area on the former Little Folks property on the south side of the Grand River in downtown Elora.
The company is expected to begin work on the dam itself sometime after Labour Day.
While the majority of the work in the river should be completed by January, some final site cleanup work will be finished in the spring.
The Drimmie Dam was built in the 19th century to provide power to a nearby mill. In recent years, water has been used for a hydroelectric power plant in the Elora Mill Inn.
The dam and the pond it creates are part of the allure of Elora and have been featured in numerous photos and paintings, including an iconic work by A.J. Casson of the Group of Seven.
The dam has been owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) since 1984. The GRCA carried out improvements to the dam but it has deteriorated significantly since then.
In recent years, chunks of concrete have fallen off the façade of the dam during high flows. The dam also constricts flows of the Grand River through Elora.
The new dam will allow more water to flow through the town and reduce the potential for flooding during periods of high flow.
GRCA officials have offered the following list of items to be addressed as part of the project:
– an access ramp will be built from the Little Folks property down to the river bed;
– a section of the dam near the north side will be removed to allow water to continue to flow downstream during construction;
– a water-filled coffer dam will be installed just upstream of the dam, to create a dry workspace around the southern half of the dam. The southern half of the old dam will be removed and replaced. The new section will also include a gate to control water levels; and
– the water-filled coffer dam will then be moved to the northern half of the dam. That section will be removed and replaced. Water will continue to flow downstream through the new gate on the southern end.
