Local company keeping environmental monitoring on track at OPG’s Frederick House Lake Dam

The Frederick House Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project is one of OPG’s major projects currently in execution in the northeast region. The work involves concrete repairs to the dam and sluiceway structure, replacement of various equipment associated with water control, as well as road maintenance to support construction access. The project will extend the life of the structure by another 50 years, ensuring continued high standards of dam and public safety.

In its environmental monitoring, Blue Heron Environmental is responsible for items like water quality readings and sediment and erosion control.

Byron noted that although being a female-owned business is a source of pride, for her, reputation and work ethic play a bigger part.

“Equality and equity were always taught in my home growing up,” she explained. “My grandmother was an entrepreneur; that’s where my entrepreneurial spirit comes from. I grew up in an environment where, regardless of your gender, you were working on the snow machine, talking about the engine.

“My parents made sure we had those skill sets, and we never really drew those lines. Whoever has the skill set does the work – it’s a practice that I still maintain in my business now.”

Brad Foster is an Environmental Technician and Fish and Wildlife Technician with Blue Heron who is performing some of the hands-on work at the Frederick House Lake Dam. He provides recommendations to the project and monitors water quality conditions during specific activities taking place on site, such as concrete pours. His work has also included participation in fisheries studies downstream of the dam.

“Everything is going very well in terms of our role on the project,” said Foster. “It’s nice to be back into something a little more familiar to me and my skill set. It’s work with a lot of moving parts, and I enjoy it.”

He added that working with both OPG and the project’s contractor, Stuart Olson, has been a very positive experience, especially given the primary focus on health and safety.

“Everyone’s been great to work with. The safety aspect is huge. You can tell that it’s paramount to all of their operations.”

Since Blue Heron’s inception in 2004, the company has grown to 40 employees working in offices across the northeast region, including Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay.

“We’re very grateful for the work with OPG, to keep it local and be able to keep people employed in the north,” said Byron.