Bruce Power Fisheries Offsets and Compensation

Biotactic devised and developed a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study for the Bruce Power Nuclear Generating Station to offset and compensate for fisheries impacts associated with nuclear power production near Lake Huron.  We established twenty-two sites including four isolated control sites to measure the long-term effects of removing the Truax Dam in Walkerton, Ontario for enhancing fish production and biomass in the Saugeen River watershed. The BACI plan with associated equations for measuring changes in biomass and fish production was developed in 2017/2018. Prior to dam removal, baseline biomass data were collected using electrofishing wherein 40+ species were captured in 2018 and 2019. The BACI study was also coordinated with long-term radiotelemetry, fixed-station underwater videography and redd count evaluations which began in 2018 to collect information regarding Rainbow Trout passage and spawning within the Saugeen River and associated upstream tributaries. The Truax Dam was removed late summer 2019 and post-impact monitoring will continue until 2026 in order to monitor and measure changes in fish production pre- and post-dam removal.


Find additional details regarding the radiotelemetry component of this study here, the biomass electrofishing survey component here, the redd count survey component here, and the videographic survey component here.

The most recent annual summary of all project component findings to-date (2022) can be found here.
Previous annual summaries: 2020 , 2021

A detailed summary of all radiotelemetry findings to-date (2022) can be found here.

Truax Dam walkerton Ontario Saugeen River
Truax Dam sluice flow

Truax Dam before removal

dam removal deconstruction

Truax Dam during deconstruction. A time lapse video of the dam removal can be found here

Saugeen river post dam removal
reestablished river flow saugeen river
remediated dam removal footprint
riffle pool sequence post dam removal
Truax Dam after removal