As a potential next step for the Ottawa River, we recommend assessing a suitable location for a ladder at the Carillon Generating Station over the next 1-2 migration seasons coupled with a commitment to providing passage the following year. Studies conducted by Hydro QC and Milieu Inc. in 2001 and 2010 revealed that more elvers approach the southern turbines than northern ones; however, shorelines, the shipping canal, and the spillway were not assessed. It is reasonable to delay installing a permanent ladder until such assessments are completed; however, free passage should be provided by the 2019 migration season. Consideration should be given to translocating elvers captured during such assessments above the Carillon Generating Station. Continue reading
Category Archives: Chaudiere Falls GS
Chaudière and Albert Island – Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments – 3 and 4 Booth Street
Victoria, Albert and Chaudière Islands are sacred lands of the Anishinaabe people, and of high spiritual significance. ORA is requesting that this area remain a natural park space where First Nations and the public can gather now and into the future. Chaudière Falls is located on unceded Algonquin land, and the Algonquins of Ontario must provide informed consent before any plans are considered. Continue reading
Free Chaudiere Falls, by Lindsay Lambert

Chaudiere
Lindsay Lambert is advocating for the undamming of Chaudière Falls in Ottawa and restoring them to their natural glory as Canada’s project for the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.
Located between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, Chaudière Falls were second only to Niagara, and many people once considered them more interesting in their variety and setting. The main feature was the Asticou, or “Big Kettle”, where the waterfall came into almost a full circle. It was once a greater arc than Niagara’s infamous Horseshoe Falls. Over eons, the fierce water flow had worn the stone at the base into a giant bowl. The water would swirl around and bubble up, like boiling water. There would always be a mist, and on a bright summer day one would be sure to see a rainbow. Continue reading
The Cradle Rocks While the Grandfather’s of Our Country Tell their Stories
The Chaudiere Falls in the heart of Canada’s capitol has been harnessed for hydro since 1908, it was a breathtaking work of nature, a sacred and significant place to the first peoples of this land, a setting where the Ottawa River plunged in a spectacular array in the form of a horseshoe. Canadian artist and author of the mid to late 1800’s, William S. Hunter in 1855 wrote that it was only second to Niagara in its extent and in the height and referred to its kettle like appearance with, “seething and frothing of the surface, in its continual whirl, assist in completing the resemblance,” adding that the sun would often produce more than one rainbow over its surface. While some see its likeness as a horseshoe shape, and others a kettle—it’s also viewed as a cradle of Canadian civilization. Continue reading
Chaudiere Falls Generating Station, Ottawa River
Project Name: Chaudiere Falls Hydro Project
Project Location: Ottawa,
Installed Capacity:
Contract: Feed-in-Tariff (FIT)
Proponent: Hydro Ottawa Inc.
Website: energyottawa.com
Status: Permitting.
Organization: Energy Ottawa Inc. – a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa
Project Start Date: 2015 to 2017
Objective:
To build and operate a new 29-megawatt hydroelectricity plant that will produce enough energy to power 20,000 homes for a year. This project will nearly double Hydro Ottawa’s total capacity on the Ottawa River.
Summary:
The plan is to shut down two aging generating stations, and build a larger one with a wide intake and new turbine station. The new renewable power produced at the facility will feed into the local grid and is considered the most environmentally benign type of energy to produce because it generates no greenhouse gases and won’t involve changing the Ottawa River’s water dynamic at all.
Contact Information:
- Website: http://www.energyottawa.com
Existing:
Chaudiere #4 Generating Station is a 2-unit hydroelectric station located on the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario. The powerhouse was originally built in 1900. The redeveloped station came online in 2005 and has an installed capacity of 9.3 MW at a head of 10.3 metres.
The station is run-of-river without storage capability. The station consists of concrete headworks and intake. Concrete channel conveys water to the stone powerhouse.
The footprint, including powerhouse and water conveyance, is part of a designated heritage site.
The station is connected to Hydro Ottawa’s 13.2 kV feeders TC1TL, TC2TL and TC3TL supplied from the Lisgar Transformer Station LV bus.
This hydroelectric generating station generates approximately 61,000 MWh of renewable energy per year.
Location: Ottawa
River System: Ottawa River
Nameplate Capacity: 9.3 MW
OPA Contracted Capacity: 9.3 MW
Operator: Energy Ottawa Inc.
Technology: Hydroelectric
Turbines: Two horizontal double Francis
Originally Built: 1900
Coordinate: 45° 25′ 13.5″ N, 75° 42′ 53″ W
Project Contacts:
Ontario Power Authority