THUNDER BAY - The City of Thunder Bay on Thursday afternoon and evening is holding the second public presentation about the proposed rehabilitation of the Boulevard Lake Dam.
The project was supposed to begin in 2015, but was initially delayed after the Ministry of the Environment said more steps were required under the Environmental Assessment process.
The 112-metre-long dam was built about a century ago.
The concrete structure, with a series of log-controlled sluiceways, was strengthened in the 1960s with the addition of post tension anchors in each buttress to mitigate the risk from flooding during a big storm event. The last major upgrade was done in 1976, when four new sluiceways were constructed.
In the intervening years, engineering studies have identified deterioration in the concrete, and raised concern about the ability of the dam to withstand floodwaters.
The first public consultation on the project was conducted last year.
From 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Current River Community Centre, city engineering staff and consultants will be on hand to give an update including the preferred methodology for strengthening the dam. Formal presentations will be delivered both at 5 p.m. and at 7 p.m.
Previous estimates placed the cost of the project at over $5 million.
City officials believe that once the work gets final approval, it will get underway in 2019 or 2020.
