Bark Lake Dam defines the start of the middle Madawaska River. Built for flood control, and peak power production its mandate now extends to a much broader scope, including white water recreation. Bark Lake is eastern Ontario’s second largest water reservoir and supplies the Madawaska River. In early spring, the water level in Bark Lake can be over 10 metres lower than summer levels, as its waters have been drawn down for power production through the cold winter months, on the 5 hydro-producing dams downstream. The spring freshet fills the lake back up in time for the May long weekend.
The Madawaska River produces what is called ‘peak power’—during high electrical consumption. In 1969, my parents Christa & Hermann Kerckhoff chose the Middle Madawaska for this reason – guaranteed warm water that drops over the top of the dam all summer long. Negotiating with Ontario Hydro the current schedule of 26 hours of water releases per week came to be. My parents asked “How much water needs to flow downstream over 7 days, even in periods of drought?” and then “Could this water be released during the day for white water recreation, replenished overnight?”
Being in cottage country, keeping lake levels constant as well as providing downstream flows is a delicate balance. This balance is managed extremely well through the Madawaska River Management Plan. Created by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), through consultation with many stakeholders, this legally binding document helps manage the river along its 240 km length. This document has won national awards, and is now utilized in other river systems around the globe.
