Ontario Power Generation

STEWARTVILLE STATION

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

NEAREST POPULATION CENTRE: Arnprior (13 KM (8 Miles) Northeast)

IN SERVICE DATE:

UNIT 1 - September 21, 1948
UNIT 2 - September 28, 1948
UNIT 3 - October 28, 1948
UNIT 4 - July 1969
UNIT 5 - August 1969

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

NUMBER OF UNITS: 5
CONTROL: Remote from Chenaux GS

HISTORICAL NOTE:

The Madawaska River has played a significant role in the history and development of the Ottawa Valley area having been first travelled by early explorers, possibly seeking the elusive Northwest Passage. The settlement at Stewartville stems over the 32 375 ha (80,000 acre) land grant which was developed and administered in feudal fashion by "the fierce laird of McNab" (a name well known in the Ottawa Valley). The old general store in the vicinity of the construction camp at Stewartville apparently served as the original town hall in the days when Stewartville was an active centre of lumbering and other activity.

When technical staff first moved into the area to survey and plan the latest development on the Madawaska, Stewartville was but a ghost town - a silent reminder of earlier days of rugged frontier development. The development effected a miraculous change in the geography of the district, revitalized the local community and provided employment for a large part of the local population.