Group Fights to Save Quebec's Kipawa

Attendees at last summer's Kipawa River Rally in Quebec got something they might not have bargained for: a chance to fight to save the festival's river.

Formed at the Kipawa River Lodge during the festivities, Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa, one of Quebec's newest river advocacy groups, is taking it upon themselves to save "one of Eastern Canada's greatest whitewater runs" from a 130 megawatt generating station that would dry up the drainage. Proposed by Hydro Quebec, the project would use water that normally flows down the two outlets draining Lake Kipawa: the Kipawa and Gordon Brook rivers. Dams were built on these two waterways between 1909 and 1911 to control flooding along the Ottawa River. If Hydro Quebec carries out its plan, it would create a new outlet from Lake Kipawa by digging a canal to two small lakes, effectively de-watering the Kipawa. The dam would be located on the Quebec side of Lake Témiscamingue.

"We have grave concerns for the future of the aquatic ecosystem on the Kipawa River and for the future of the Kipawa as beautiful and valuable recreational paddling venue," says group spokesperson Heather Whiting. "The hydro project would change everything."

The grassroots group has already made itself heard. Last summer it worked with Hydro Quebec to secure a series of water releases as part of Hydro Quebec's efforts to determine the impacts its project would have on recreational values. It also sent a survey to people who have paddled the Kipawa so their thoughts can be brought to the table. "Our mission is simple," says Whiting. "We want to protect the ecological and recreational values on the Kipawa by staying at the table with Hydro Quebec and working through their public consultation process to protect the river. We also want to convince locals that there are other options for the Kipawa that can provide the region with a more lasting value than a hydro electric generation station."

Those who have paddled it don’t need convincing. Dropping an average of 30 feet per mile for 10 miles, the river has 16 named rapids, ranging from Class III-IV, with two short portages. Depending on runoff, its flow ranges from 750 to 13,000 cfs. It is such a classic that it has hosted the Kipawa River Rally for 12 years, drawing hundreds of paddlers from Quebec, Ontario and the eastern U.S. "It is, plain and simple, one of the best, and perhaps even the best, intermediate whitewater run in Eastern Canada," says Whiting. "It needs all the help it can get."

--Les Amis de la Riviére Kipawa is a registered non-profit organization based in Témiscaming, Quebec. For more information, call Daniel Marinier at (819) 627-3230 or (819) 627-9893, or visit www.lakeheadu.ca/~n . Donations can be sent to: Les Amis de la Riviere Kipawa, c/o Dan Mariner, 550-B Kipawa Rd., Box 1287, Temiscaming, Quebec, J0Z 3R0 CN.

--edb