Ontario Power Generation

R.H. SAUNDERS STATION

PLANT GROUP: Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group
DRAINAGE BASIN: St Lawrence River
RIVER: St Lawrence

NEAREST POPULATION CENTRE: Cornwall

IN SERVICE DATE:

UNIT 1 - July 8, 1958
UNIT 2 - July 5, 1958
UNIT 3 - August 22, 1958
UNIT 4 - July 28, 1958
UNIT 5 - September 12, 1958
UNIT 6 - November 12, 1958
UNIT 7 - October 7, 1958
UNIT 8 - January 21, 1959
UNIT 9 - January 19, 1959
UNIT 10 - March 19, 1959
UNIT 11 - March 25, 1959
UNIT 12 - May 29, 1959
UNIT 13 - June 8, 1959
UNIT 14 - August 14, 1959
UNIT 15 - August 13, 1959
UNIT 16 - December 18, 1959

BUILT BY: Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario
ASSET TRANSFERRED TO ONTARIO POWER GENERATION: April 1, 1999

NUMBER OF UNITS: 16
CONTROL: Attended

HISTORICAL NOTE:

Ever since Jacques Cartier discovered it, the St. Lawrence River has been one of the chief tributaries of Canada's stream of history. Indeed, for many years, it was the main source.

It was on the waters of the St. Lawrence that Cartier and other explorers set forth to open up the country. It was on the waters of the St. Lawrence that fur traders, loggers and fishermen developed our first industries. It was on the waters of the St. Lawrence that France and England moved their forces into battle for the riches of the new world. And it was on the waters of the St. Lawrence that peace settled, paving the way for the birth of a new nation.

Cartier discovered the river in 1535. He instinctively recognized the date of his discovery - August 10 - as the Feast Day of St. Lawrence; but, ironically, he did not recognize immediately the extent of his find. He mistook the large indentation between the Gaspe Peninsula for a bay, and he named it "Baye Saint Laurens". Later, the name was applied to the gulf, then to the river, until today the whole chain of lakes and rivers to the western end of Lake Superior are included in the general term "The St. Lawrence System".

After his initial reconnaissance, Cartier returned and entered the river proper. He sailed nearly 1600 km (1,000 miles) upstream until his way was barred by the rapids of Lachine. At the site of Montreal (then known as Hochelaga), Cartier heard from the Indians exciting tales of "inland seas" to the west. This was the first occasion of the existence of the Great Lakes.

Cartier did not attempt to find the "inland seas". He and his men suffered through a severe winter on the St. Lawrence and sailed back to France in the Spring.

But other Frenchmen gradually realized the significance of what Cartier had found. They recognized the St. Lawrence as the potential backbone of a New France. In 1603, Samuel de Champlain sailed out to start putting flesh on the bone.

Champlain was well-suited to the task of building a new colony out of a wilderness inhabited with warring Indians. As a former soldier in the French Wars of Religion, he knew how to fight; as a sailor in the service of Spain, he had visited the colonies along the Spanish Main and he knew how to rule; as an expert geographer, he knew how to explore.

The building of New France began in earnest in 1608 when Champlain established a settlement on the heights above the St. Lawrence at Stadacona. He called the settlement Quebec, a name which came to fill almost as many pages as St. Lawrence. After surviving extreme cold, scurvy and a conspiracy against him in the first year, Champlain was ready to explore the river.

He went far. He pushed south until he discovered the lake which now bears his name; he branched along the Ottawa River into the interior; he was the first to explore the Great Lakes; he led the first party to sail across Lake Ontario.

Between these excursions, Champlain developed Quebec into a flourishing town and powerful fortress. He organized the clearing of land, the building of homes and stores, the setting up of fortification. To make the colony even more attractive to new settlers from France, he tried to channel the fur trade through an emporium of his own.

When an English expedition under Admiral Kirke captured a fleet of supply ships from France, sailed up the St. Lawrence and forced Quebec to surrender in 1629, it was mainly due to efforts of Champlain that France regained possession of the settlement. He went to France and persuaded Cardinal Richelieu to demand Quebec back as one of the terms in the subsequent peace treaty. Then Champlain returned to the settlement to take charge again before dying there in 1635.

The next great administrator to sail up the St. Lawrence was Count Frontenac, the Iron Governor, who arrived in 1672. He was another colorful figure, described by one historian as "brave, strong, arrogant, dictatorial, capable." One striking example of all these traits was his violation of King Louis XIV's orders to confine his attention to the existing settlement. Frontenac deliberately and methodically threw his support behind plans to extend French power to the west - and history proved his insubordination justified.

The Governor backed such adventurers as La Salle, who went beyond the St. Lawrence to explore the territory south of the Great Lakes and later became the first white man to sail down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Frontenac also cultivated the friendship of the Indians by going among them as an ambassador of good will from their "new chief", King Louis. And he jealously guarded all that he claimed for France. When a fleet of English warships under Sir William Phips sailed up the St. Lawrence in 1690 and called upon Frontenac to surrender Quebec, the Iron Governor replied with gunfire and held firm. He was still running the colony when he died eight years later.

The fall of New France began to gather momentum early in the 18th Century. It reached its climax in 1758 when James Wolfe and a powerful force of British troops sailed up the St. Lawrence in a fleet of more than 200 ships. They landed near Quebec and, in the most momentous battle of Canadian history, wrested from France control of the city - and, in effect, the whole area.

Contrary to the general opinion, the last battle in the struggle between France and England for dominion in North America did not occur on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. It took place a year later on August 25, 1760 on an obscure island in the upper St. Lawrence at the head of the Galop Rapids some 8 km (5 miles) west of Cardinal. The island has known many names. The Indians called "Orocanenton" or "Hanging Sun", an allusion to its position in midstream. The French called it "La Gallette" from its proximity to the Indian Settlement on the north shore just opposite. Later when they had fortified the area, they called it "Isle Royale" or "Isle Fort de Levis".

After the taking of Quebec and the fall of Niagara a year later, the French learned that General Jeffrey Amherst (later a Baron and first Governor-General of British North America) was gathering a great force at Oswego to come down the St. Lawrence and join with another army working up the Lake Champlain route toward Montreal, the centre of the French resistance. Urged on by their commander de Levis, they built a shipyard at Pointe au Baril, and hurriedly threw up a fort, which they named after their commander, on this little island. The fort was placed on this island because a single canoe or ship could not pass without being observed. The French surrendered after nearly a week with every officer wounded and all their ammunition gone. The English appeared before the fort with 8,000 men as opposed to the garrison of 200 French.

The island became known as "Chimney Island" although no chimney has stood there for several years. Prior to the flooding, ramparts on Chimney Island were still visible towering 2 m (6 ft) in some places above the rest of the island. The rear or northern face of the fort shows the battering it received from Amherst's guns. He had mortars that hurled 33 cm (13 in) shells and some cannon balls this size were found when the Long Sault Rapids were drained.

For many years this island was favoured by birds as sort of an unofficial sanctuary. Dredging contractors reshaped it by removing the northeastern tip of the pear-shaped piece of land for power and navigation purposes.

Quebec figured in yet another battle during the American Revolution, when Benedict Arnold made an attempt at its capture. But, with French and British fighting side by side, Arnold was beaten off, and there followed peace upon which the foundations of a new, independent nation could be built.

Peace did not mean the end of the river's role in history. As the warships disappeared, their places were taken by more and more trading vessels. In the 19th Century, a series of canals was constructed to provide access to the Great Lakes for boats of limited draught. Then followed dreams of the day when the river would be negotiable by ocean going ships and its power would be harnessed for electricity.

Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario played a major part in the realization of these dreams. As far back as 1913, under the Chairmanship of Sir Adam Beck, the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario began a detailed investigation of St. Lawrence power possibilities. The completion of the study in 1921, resulted in the first formal statement on the potential of the International Rapids Section.

The International Joint Commission was impressed by the statement and recommended the establishment of a joint board of engineers, comprising three members each from Canada and the United States. In 1926, this board issued a report which formed the basis for the St. Lawrence Deep Waterway Treaty, calling for joint development of the river's power and navigation potentials. The treaty was signed by representatives of both Governments in 1932, but it was not ratified by the U.S. Senate.

Those who realized how much overall benefit the project would bring refused to give in. In 1941, another formal attempt at getting the scheme started was made with the signing of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Agreement. This time the U.S. Congress failed to pass the necessary Bill.

On both sides of the border, proponents of the plan became impatient with the delays. Commission Chairman Robert H. Saunders, in particular, pointed out the urgent need for St. Lawrence power. Speaking throughout Ontario, and in the United States as well, he urged an immediate start on the project. Both the Ontario and Canadian governments gave him strong support.

In December, 1951, new official steps were taken towards joint United States-Canadian development of the power resources on the International Section of the River, and, at the same time, Canada indicated that she would go ahead with the seaway on her own, if necessary. In connection with the power development plans, the Canadian and Ontario governments signed an agreement which, in effect, gave the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario the right to work with a United States entity.

Then, in June 1952, Canada and the United States filed applications with the International Joint Commission for permission to change water levels in the St. Lawrence River for the purpose of developing power; Canada also sought permission to provide deep draught navigation from Montreal to Lake Ontario. The IJC announced approval of the applications the following October.

This signalled the end of frustration. In 1953, the United States Federal Power Commission granted the Power Authority of the State of New York a licence to develop the power project in conjunction with the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. This licence was confirmed by the United States Supreme Court on June 7, 1954 (just after American co-operation with Canada in construction of the seaway was assured), and the official sod-turning ceremonies for the power development took place August 10, 1954 with Prime Minister St. Laurent, the Hon. Thomas E. Dewey, then Governor of New York State, and Ontario's Premier Leslie M. Frost officiating at the ceremony.

Official Opening Ceremonies - On the dot of 8 am, July 1, (Canada's 91st birthday) Dr. Otto Holden, Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario's Chief Engineer and J. Burch McMorran, Chief Engineer of the Power Authority of the State of New York, representing the joint partners in the power development, stood in a log-and-sandbag bunker while they pressed a button to detonate 27 tonnes (30 tons) of high explosives. Their action skyrocketed tonnes (tons) of earth and rock into the air, and tore gaps in a 183 m (600 ft) long cofferdam which for some four years had diverted St. Lawrence water away from the site of powerhouse construction 4 km (2.5 miles) downstream. Seconds later water was pouring through gaping holes in the hard packed rock and earth structure known as Cofferdam A-1 and was rolling towards the adjoining powerhouses.

On July 4, while United States citizens observed their Independence Day holiday, Canada's Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker and Mrs. Diefenbaker paid a visit to the Commission's Robert H. Saunders - St. Lawrence generating station, the great new expanse of water covering an additional 15 378 ha (38,000 acres) of land in Ontario and New York State was reaching its initial operating level. Then on July 5 at precisely 6:39 pm (EDT), the first St. Lawrence unit went "on the line".

On September 5, 1958 a throng of some 2,000 people including 1,200 specially-invited guests, began to gather in a temporary amphitheatre on the tailrace deck of the 1006 m (3,300 ft) long powerhouse structure. Located on the boundary line between Canada and the United States, the amphitheatre and canopied dais marked the point where the powerhouses of Ontario and the State of New York merge. Seated against a backdrop were some 50 distinguished Canadians and Americans, representing many spheres of public and business life. Chief among them were Ontario's Premier, Hon. Leslie M. Frost and the Governor of New York State, Hon. Averell Harriman, Ontario Hydro Chairman James S. Duncan and Robert Moses, Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York, who presided jointly during the inaugural event as the St. Lawrence Project officially went "on load."

On June 27, 1959, a brief ceremony at the point where the two powerhouses of the St. Lawrence Power Project adjoin was a highlight in the one-day visit of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to the Cornwall area. The Royal couple made their first stop on American soil where they were greeted at the St. Lawrence Seaway's Eisenhower Lock by U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Mrs. Nixon, Chairman Robert Moses of the Power Authority of the State of New York and by many distinguished Canadian and United State citizens.

The Royal couple moved to the downstream side of the adjoining Robert Moses Power dam and Ontario Hydro's Robert H. Saunders - St. Lawrence generating station. It was at this point that Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Vice President Nixon, Prince Philip and Mrs. Nixon and other platform guests alighted for the second ceremony - the unveiling of the International Friendship Monument.

As the young Sovereign concluded her address, she firmly grasped the golden tasselled cord, and slowly the red drapes rolled back to reveal the black granite background on which are mounted large gold-leafed replicas of the coats-of-arms of Canada and the United States. The inscription reads: "This stone bears witness to the common purpose of two nations, whose frontiers are the frontiers of friendship, whose ways are the ways of freedom, and whose works are the works of peace." The focal element of the monument is a graceful arch of silvery aluminum, 18 m (60 ft) high. The arch with one leg in Canada and the other in the United States symbolizes a friendly handclasp across the border and the goodwill, trust and mutual respect implicit in such a handclasp. Flanking the slender, stylized arch at either edge of the wide platform stand two stainless steel flagpoles 27 m (88 ft) in height from which fly the flags of the two countries.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Chairman of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, Mr. Duncan, presented a miniature golden replica of the monument to Queen Elizabeth while Mr. Moses made a similar presentation to Mr. Nixon as mementoes of the international event.

Naming of Station - The unveiling of a magnificent marble tablet of dedication, located in the foyer of the station's administration building, was done at the opening of the R.H. Saunders - St. Lawrence station on September 5, 1958 by Premier Leslie M. Frost of Ontario. James S. Duncan, Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario Chairman, introduced Mr. Frost and stood beside as Mrs. Robert Falconer, Mr. Saunders' daughter, and the Premier unveiled the tablet.

Robert Hood Saunders was Ontario Hydro chairman from 1948 until his untimely death following an airplane crash in January 1955. Mr. Saunders worked vigorously to accelerate the development of Ontario's waterpower resources. In paying tribute to Mr. Saunders, Mr. Frost said, "he was a person of kindness and understanding; a very human being in many capacities and in many ways. His accomplishments were legion...It is a fitting tribute to his memory that the St. Lawrence Power Project be named after him."

MISCELLANEOUS:

The Relocation Program - On September 19, 1955, a party of some 150 newspaper, radio and television representatives from many parts of Ontario converged on the picturesque Village of Iroquois nestling on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River. They watched with interest as the home of Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Roberts was lifted from its foundation by a massive house-moving machine and transported from its location on Wellington Street to Lot 195 on Caldwell Drive in an area designated as new Iroquois, approximately 2.5 km (1.5 miles) north of the old site.

That was, in a sense, the official beginning of the rehabilitation program for communities and 225 farms lying in the path of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project. Today, the waters of the St. Lawrence cover an 8094 ha (20,000 acre) area which these communities and farms occupied for many generations. There were 6,500 people affected by the mammoth hydroelectric and seaway development. The giant "house-movers" transplanted 525 homes in new and modern townsites. Descendants of United Empire Loyalists now live on crescent-shaped streets. Old stores that once flanked the river's edge were replaced by trim, compact shopping centres.

In retreating to higher ground, 152 Iroquois homes were moved to new sites while 86 new homes were built. At Morrisburg, the largest community affected by the rehabilitation program, 87 homes moved to the northeastern periphery of the community. The entire business section moved to a handsome shopping centre consisting of more than 40 stores. In the process, also, two new communities came into being. The former hamlets of Mille Roches and Moulinette combined to form Long Sault 13 km (8 miles) west of Cornwall. Here 126 homes from former sites were combined with approximately the same number of new houses to form attractive residential areas while an eight-store shopping centre, four churches and two schools completed the community.

The former villages of Wales, Dickinson's Landing, Farran's Point and Aultsville - whose names have been preserved in the designation of new St. Lawrence islands - were gathered into the new townsite of Ingleside. Situated 21 km (13 miles) west of Cornwall, it comprises 102 homes from the four old communities and over 100 new houses as well as an eight store shopping centre, four churches and two schools.

Eighteen burial grounds located on the St. Lawrence Project were affected by the flooding. Most of the cemeteries were of historical interest, some of them dated to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They were established by the United Empire Loyalists, discharged veterans of the first Battalion of the King's Royal Regiment of New York who fought in the American War of Independence. In later years, many of their sons again took up arms in the defence of their new homes during the War of 1812-1814 and in the Rebellion of 1837-1838. The cemeteries which were disturbed by the development were a link with the past history of the district. The headstones have been carefully preserved on a permanent site as a gesture of respect to the memory of those and their descendants whose remains lie within them. In total, 2,560 monuments were moved and 5,059 burials commemorated.

Along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, an extensive parks system was brought into existence. These parks serve a two-fold purpose: the preservation of the historical associations of the St. Lawrence Valley and the creation of a recreational area. Even before the engineering developments were begun, it was apparent that the relocation of riverside communities caused by the raised level of the St. Lawrence represented unparalleled opportunity to redevelop the area. To meet this challenge, the Ontario Government established the Ontario - St. Lawrence Development Commission in 1955. The Commission's long term plans envisaged several thousand hectares (acres) of parks and beaches with a historical centre as the focal point. Crysler Park, an 809 ha (2,000 acre) combined recreational area and historical memorial commemorates the victory of British and Canadian troops over American forces in 1813. Situated a few kilometres (miles) east of Morrisburg, the park contains historical and folk museums, picnic areas, a working model of a lock and canal, a replica of an 18th Century bateau, a golf course and large restaurant. A war museum was built at the base of the 17 m (55 ft) high earth mound upon which the battle memorial was placed. East of the memorial itself is Upper Canada Village which opened in 1960. An authentic reconstruction of United Empire Loyalists homes, barns, taverns, churches and shops, the village is separated from the Crysler Memorial by a brick and stone memorial cemetery. It is enclosed by a wall constructed of material salvaged from buildings situated in the area which now forms part of the head pond for the power project. Set into the wall are tombstones dating back to the early days of settlement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Development Commission collected some 4,000 objects of historical interest which were used in furnishing the village.

Nine parks and beaches between Lancaster and Iroquois were built as part of rehabilitation of the areas affected by the power project.

Scenic Long Sault Parkway, built by the Development Commission, commemorates the historic Long Sault Rapids which disappeared in the flooding. The new parkway links nine of the 18 new islands created when the level of the seaway was raised.

The Mural - A mural was painted especially for the penthouse lobby of the administration building at the Robert H. Saunders - St. Lawrence station. It measures 12 m by 3 m (40 ft by 10 ft) and was painted in abstract, expressionistic style, by Harold Town of Toronto. In January 1958, after an exhaustive tour of the project, the artist prepared a selection of sketches in colour about 38 cm (15 in) long. These were shown to the Commission and then the artist went ahead with a 3 m (10 ft) long working model. Once that was approved, the real job began.

The Canadian National Exhibition made one of its galleries available to Mr. Town. A single piece of canvas imported from Belgium was stretched across a wooden frame. Special paints designed to dry quickly, retain colour and not crack were mixed. When the mural was completed, it was carefully rolled around a drum and transported to the project. A special adhesive was then used to affix it firmly to its wall in the administration lobby in time for official opening ceremonies.

The mural depicts the taming of nature, the reshaping of landscape and the dynamics implicit in hydroelectric power itself.

The Eel Ladder - Before the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project between 1954 and 1958, the migration of the American eel went unimpeded. However, with the placement of the Moses-Saunders power dam, the only route available to the eels was through the seaway locks to the south of the dam. In the early 1970's, it became apparent that eels were congregating along the downstream side of the dam, in the relatively turbulent waters of the ice sluices. In addition, there were problems in dewatering the turbine housing due to eels blocking the sump pumps used to drain the area. Dewatering is necessary for maintenance of turbines, so it was necessary to reduce the concentration of eels in the tailrace. At the same time, the commercial fishery for eels in Lake Ontario was expanding. Catch statistics indicated that the stocks were being fished more heavily and a shift in the age distribution of the catch showed that the larger eels were being removed faster than they were being replaced by downstream migrants. There was still some upstream migration as eels managed to bypass the dam through the locks. However, the concern was that the number of eels bypassing the dam would not be sufficient to maintain the expanding commercial fishery, as a result of the location and operation of the locks. To solve the concerns, it was decided to put eels over the dam using a modified fish ladder. The ladder was designed to take advantage of two characteristics of the eel: its climbing ability and its positive response to water current.

In 1974, the prototype model was constructed of wood. It was a three-sided trough, 156 m (512 ft) long which traversed the ice sluice face 8.5 times in a vertical distance of 29 m (95 ft). Water was jetted through the trough to provide a current and artificial vegetation and baffles were placed in the trough to provide cover. This also slowed the water velocity over the length of the ladder. Water was also jetted at the base of the ladder to attract eels to the bottom trough.

Based on its successful operation from 1974 to 1980, it was decided to build a permanent structure. The wooden ladder had become structurally unsound. The basic design remained unchanged but some features were added. A second trough was added to increase the capacity of the ladder. The structure was made of aluminum for strength and to reduce maintenance costs. A railed walkway was added for safety reasons. Heating cables have been included to eliminate icing problems in the winter. A larger pump, along with water and electrical control systems was needed.

The total cost of the ladder was $265,000, shared between Ontario Hydro and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Between 1974 and 1985, 9.2 million eels have moved over the ladder. The run usually starts each year in mid-June, initiated by increasing water temperatures, and lasts until late September. It takes an eel and average of 24 hours to climb the ladder. The eel ladder is the only one in North America and the highest one in the world.