Stay Clear Stay Safe

The safety of the public and our staff is our number one priority.

This includes making sure people know about the dangers around our hydro stations and dams, where within seconds water levels can rise, become turbulent and create a life threatening situation. Learn more about how you can keep yourself, your friends and family safe.

Don't be dam ridiculous

Our message is simple - stay away from dams or you could drown.
Watch our new public safety video below and share to help raise awareness of the risks and dangers.

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The dangers are real

OPG operates more than 66 hydroelectric stations and over 240 dams on 24 river systems. Please stay clear and stay safe. You may feel you understand the risks, but here are some facts you may not know:

  • Water levels and flows near hydro stations and dams can change rapidly and with little or no warning, taking you by surprise.

  • Most of our facilities are remote controlled, so there's nobody there to warn you of danger.

  • Dry or calm riverbeds below dams may look safe but they can quickly change into rapidly flowing waterways with dangerous currents.

  • In colder weather, ice forming near dams is deceptively thin and can give way beneath you, plunging you into dangerously cold and turbulent waters.

Please educate your children as well. Tell them exactly where they can and cannot go, and make sure you are nearby and can see them at all times. Teach them what our signs and other barriers mean so they will Stay Clear and Stay Safe!

For your safety...

Stay back

from waters above or below hydro facilities!

Keep out

from areas with fences, buoys, booms and barriers!

Never

stand, anchor or tie your boat below a dam!

Always

obey all warning signs!

PFD leanding program.

PFD lending program

We’re a proud sponsor of Ontario Parks’ Personal Flotation Device (PFD) Lending Program. Visit participating parks across Ontario and borrow a life jacket free of charge.

Learn more
An employee performing a snow survey.

Spring thaw is when our work heats up

We work with nature to predict conditions and manage our river systems for the safety of people and the environment.

Learn more

Dam safety and emergency response

OPG is proud of its reputation as a world leader in dam safety. Our hydro stations and dams are diligently inspected, assessed, monitored and maintained according to Canadian Dam Association standards.

In our host communities, we work closely with local stakeholders including conservation authorities and provincial agencies on emergency planning, watershed management and flood response.

We meet regularly with these stakeholders and emergency responders to ensure they’re familiar with our facilities and the emergency procedures we would follow in the event of a flood or dam failure. Emergency responders also participate in drills to practice those procedures.

Of note, neither OPG nor its predecessor company Ontario Hydro have ever experienced a dam failure.