Chats Falls
Encyclopedia
Chats Falls were a set of waterfall
s on the Ottawa River
, near Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario
, and Quyon, Quebec
, Canada. A hydroelectric
generating station is now located here, owned and operated jointly by Hydro-Québec
and Ontario Power Generation
. It lies within the cities of Ottawa
and Pontiac, Quebec
.
Prior to the construction of the dam and power generating station, the Chats Falls was a waterfall with a 10.7 meter (35 feet) drop in the river, and consisted of a series of chutes running from what is now the eastern end of the dam all the way to the western-most corner of Pontiac Bay. In their natural state the Chats Falls were quite a tourist attraction. In the years leading up to World War One it was fairly common to see large steam boats (paddle wheelers) heading up river with their decks full of sightseers.
Today, catfish lovers flock year-round to Lac des Chats (Lake of Cats), one of the best catfish holes in the Ottawa Valley, to fish for this perennial favourite.
In 1853, James Poole, editor of The Carleton Place Herald, wrote about the Chats Falls horse railway
:
generating station and dam began in 1929 and was completed in 1932, destroying the falls and creating Lac des Chats
reservoir behind the dam. The powerhouse is in the middle of the Ottawa River on the Ontario/Quebec border.
On March 2, 1953, a fire started in the morning, burning for 7 hours and destroying 2 generators and the building's roof. The station went completely down when the cables got damaged. Two of the eight generating units were brought back into operation the following day and another four units being brought on-line the following week. In all, $2 million of damage was done.
The power station has 8 turbines (4 managed by Ontario Power Generation and 4 managed by Hydro-Québec) with a head
of 16.16 meter (53 feet), generating a total of 79 MW.
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s on the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
, near Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario
Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario
Fitzroy Harbour is a small village within the city of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Ottawa River at the mouth of the Carp River. A branch of the Mississippi River, known as the Snye, also empties into the Ottawa to the west of the village.The town was founded by Charles...
, and Quyon, Quebec
Quyon, Quebec
Quyon is a village in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located within the Pontiac Municipality.-Geography:...
, Canada. A hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
generating station is now located here, owned and operated jointly by Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
and Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation is a public company wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and fossil fuel...
. It lies within the cities of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Pontiac, Quebec
Pontiac, Quebec
Pontiac is a municipality in western Quebec, Canada, in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality on the Rivière des Outaouais , created through the forced amalgamation of North and South Onslow, Quyon, Eardlyy, and Luskville. It should not be confused with the Pontiac Regional...
.
The falls
Today, catfish lovers flock year-round to Lac des Chats (Lake of Cats), one of the best catfish holes in the Ottawa Valley, to fish for this perennial favourite.
The horse railway
In 1847, the Union Rail Road was established at Chats Falls. Passengers were treated to a horse-drawn railroad trip of 5.0 km (3.0 mi) through the dense forest skirting the rough waters. While the roof sheltered passengers from rain and sun, the sides were open to mosquitoes, which brought complaints from many of the river travelers.In 1853, James Poole, editor of The Carleton Place Herald, wrote about the Chats Falls horse railway
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
:
Generating station
Construction on a run-of-riverRun-of-the-river hydroelectricity
Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation whereby a considerably smaller water storage called pondage or none is used to supply a power station. Run-of-the-river power plants are classified as with or without pondage...
generating station and dam began in 1929 and was completed in 1932, destroying the falls and creating Lac des Chats
Lac des Chats
Lac des Chats is a lake on the Ottawa River that forms the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec . It is formed by the Chats Falls dam and serves as the reservoir for the Chats Falls generating station...
reservoir behind the dam. The powerhouse is in the middle of the Ottawa River on the Ontario/Quebec border.
On March 2, 1953, a fire started in the morning, burning for 7 hours and destroying 2 generators and the building's roof. The station went completely down when the cables got damaged. Two of the eight generating units were brought back into operation the following day and another four units being brought on-line the following week. In all, $2 million of damage was done.
The power station has 8 turbines (4 managed by Ontario Power Generation and 4 managed by Hydro-Québec) with a head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
of 16.16 meter (53 feet), generating a total of 79 MW.