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Hydro-Québec’s enlightening tours
Learn all about producing electricity
Kristina Edson
The Gazette
Thursday, August 21, 2008
While there are many things to see and do in faraway places, the best can sometimes be found in our own backyard. With that in mind, The Gazette’s West Island section will explore attractions and delights in our corner of the world, both on and off-island.
Those ready for a dam good time while discovering a world of electricity have only two more weeks to book free public tours at two of Hydro-Québec’s substations – Beauharnois and Carillon – west of Montreal.
The circa 1920’s Beauharnois dam, situated in the town of Beauharnois, 40 kilometres southwest of Montreal, is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world, according to Hydro-Québec.
Until Labour Day, visitors can take one of four daily
90-minute tours of the art deco inspired dam that straddles the Beauharnois canal.
The waterway, located between Lac St. François and Lac St. Louis, was constructed for the hydro project, said Geneviève Godbout, a Hydro-Québec tours team leader.
While seeing first-hand some of the 38 generating units that stretch the nearly one-kilometre length of the plant, visitors will also learn that each year, 50,000 eels travel through a fishway built into the dam.
“It’s true for other dams, too,” Godbout said. “We put fish ladders in so the fish can get through.”
The Carillon dam tour, meanwhile, takes 75 minutes to complete. Closed toe walking shoes are recommended for the tours.
The dam, featuring a nearby lock, is located in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil. It can be accessed via the Pointe-Fortune ferry or by going directly to Carillon.
The Carillon dam was built between 1959 and 1964 using 10,000 metric tons a day of concrete from crushed stone.
And while the power station is located in Quebec, its spillway is in Ontario.
Both power station tours begin with presentations at interpretation centres where visitors learn how electricity is produced.
“Then they go inside the power station and see a generating unit work first hand,” Godbout said.
The Beauharnois dam is open seven days a week until Labour Day. Free daily tours run at 9:30, 11:15, 1:00, and 2:45. The Carillon dam is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Tours run at 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30.
To book a free English tour at Beauharnois or Carillon, or for groups of more than 10 people at either dam, call 800-365-5229.
If you know of a hidden treasure for the Our Own Backyard column, please send suggestions to aambroziak@thegazette.canwest.com.
Beauharnois tour
Having been involved in supplying specialized equipment for many Hydro Quebec projects, I can highly recommended a visit and tour of this facility as it is a very special station with an important history in the province and worldwide for that matter.
We (Montreal) have lost some of the key industrial players (e.g. GE Hydro, and Dominion Engineering Works) that were involved over the years in supplying equipment for this and other hydro stations in the province, and it's wonderful that a piece of that history can still be remembered at this location, so close to the island, and providing an excellent educational opportunity.
As a further bonus, visitors can stop at the adjacent lock and perhaps be fortunate to watch a ship make use of this lock, and realize the importance of the entire project. It's an ideal site for a family picnic, and given that the Beauharnois station is just next door, and was once the largest Hydro power station in the world, a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.
Bill Wilkat
Pierrefonds