Seine River Watershed Information
Dams

Three dams are used for power production along the Seine River system (Valerie Falls Generating Station, Calm Lake Generating Station and Sturgeon Falls Generating Station).

The purpose of the dams is to provide a head of water in the headpond and direct flows through turbines to convert the energy of falling water into mechanical power and then electrical energy.

The power dams on the Seine River have modest storage capacity (the headpond). Water levels controlled by these dams are typically held close to full supply to maximize the amount of drop that water has to fall (known as head). Because of this, the ability to store water in the headponds, beyond a few days, is limited.

The dam operators use the upstream reservoirs to try to produce even flows throughout the year in order to deliver adequate water supply to the headponds for power production purposes. From a daily operations perspective, water flow is typically controlled to produce higher flows during high value electrical production periods (e.g. day) and reduce flows during low value periods (e.g. night). This practice is commonly known as peaking or load-following.