Chaudière Falls opens up for Doors Open Ottawa

As part of Doors Open Ottawa, Hydro Ottawa offered tours of their recently-expanded hydroelectric station at Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River.

The expansion was completed in 2017 and the four turbines produce 29 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power 20,000 homes in the National Capital region.

The ring dam was built between 1907–1909 and is 400 metres long. Operators control the flow of the water entering the Chaudière complex by inserting or removing stop logs in each of the 50 spans.

A permanent park with viewing platforms offer visitors a fantastic view of the  river.  As a way of honouring the region's First Nations, traditional vegetation has been planted in the park.