Bob’s Lake Dam Update From Parks Canada:

Mar 21, 2018

Parks Canada has passed a milestone for the project to replace the Bobs Lake Dam at Bolingbroke. The preparation, investigation, and design phases have advanced to the point where this project has now been put out to tender to seek bids from qualified contractors. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018 and could start as early as June. In preparation for construction, area residents may see increased activity at the dam site over the coming months. This includes the removal of shoreline vegetation, the preparation of the work site, and additional environmental monitoring. Over the coming months Parks Canada will be holding further information sessions about this project. The next opportunity will be at the Friends of the Tay Watershed annual general meeting on March 22nd at 2pm at the Perth Legion. Additional information about this meeting can be found at www.taywatershed.ca. Parks Canada will be looking to have further public meetings with the Greater Bobs and Crow Lakes Association, the Christie Lake Association, and Tay Valley Township over the spring. Due to poor quality rock at the current dam site, the new dam will be located approximately 40m upstream. This new location is between the site of the 1870s era dam and the current dam built in the 1930s.  Additionally, a second spillway will be added to the dam in order to meet current Canadian Dam Association safety guidelines. This additional spillway will act as a redundancy in case one spillway is ever blocked or requires repair. The design also incorporates a small overflow component that will assist in regulating Bobs Lake when at full summer levels without the need to make dam adjustments. Finally, the deck of the dam will be slightly higher and have improved railings in order to provide operators an additional measure of safety during high water events. The new dam will not alter the water management strategy for Bobs Lake. Furthermore, throughout the construction of the new dam plans will accommodate Parks Canada’s water management requirements and residents should not experience any significant change in water levels due to construction. The replacement of the Bobs Lake dam is part of Parks Canada’s unprecedented $3 billion dollar investment over 5 years to support infrastructure work to heritage, visitor, waterway and highway assets located within national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas across Canada. Dams have existed on Bobs Lake at Bolingbroke since at least 1821. In 1870 the dam site was purchased by the Government of Canada in order to enhance the size of the reservoir for the Northern Sector of the Rideau Canal. In 1871 the dam was significantly increased in size and the volume of water in Bobs Lake was raised considerably. The current dam has been in place since 1930 and has seen several major repairs over the course of its operation. For up-to-date news on infrastructure work along the Rideau Canal, please visit our website: pc.gc.ca/rcInfrastructure. If you would like to be added to our community engagement list and receive updates on this project, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include Bobs Lake Dam in the subject heading. [I asked Parks Canada why we were only given one week’s notice for this meeting, and the reply was there have been several other meetings in the past, and Parks Canada has already met with some of the Presidents of the lake associations in the area]