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Howson Dam at capacity in the 24 June 2017 storm event.
ORA has seen few dams that attract tourists to a town, but large healthy rivers and fisheries appear to be more attractive, especially to anglers and canoeists, that can bring additional tourist dollars into the community.
Howson Dam at capacity in the 24 June 2017 storm event.
Linda Heron, Chair of ORA, made this presentation on the 18th of June 2018, to the Township of North Huron’s Reeve and Council regarding the Howson Dam on the North Maitland River. According to a 19 June article by Adam Bell, Blackburn News, a decision will be made on the future of the Howson Dam soon. Continue reading
Looking downstream at Howson Dam on the North Maitland River.
On 23 – 24 June of 2017, the upstream Gorrie Dam failed and the Howson Dam was at capacity during an extreme rain event and flood when 175 mm of rain fell in just 7 hours, placing more than 150 property owners at risk and resulting in an estimated $11-million in damages in the Town of Harriston. This severe rain event broke previous records by approximately 40% and was the second highest flow on the North Maitland in the 48 years of record. Fortunately, no one was killed; however, it could have been much worse, as in October of 2015, when a South Carolina flood breached 18 dams, and resulted in 16 deaths.