La Colle Falls Hydroelectric Dam

La Colle Falls Hydroelectric Dam
La Colle Falls Hydroelectric Dam in 1916
Location of La Colle Falls Hydroelectric Dam
Country	Canada
Location	Garden River No. 490 / Prince Albert No. 461, east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Coordinates	53°15′27″N 105°12′25″W / 53.25750°N 105.20694°W / 53.25750; -105.20694Coordinates: 53°15′27″N 105°12′25″W / 53.25750°N 105.20694°W / 53.25750; -105.20694
Status	abandoned
Owner(s)	City of Prince Albert
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Hydroelectric
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	0 MW

La Colle Falls Hydroelectric Dam is a partially complete hydroelectric dam built by the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The dam is located on the North Saskatchewan river approximately 45 kilometres east of the city in an area that is inaccessible.^[1] Construction started in 1909 and the partially complete project was abandoned in 1913 due to high costs and technical difficulties. The motivation of building the dam was to provide cheap power and attract business to the area.^[2] The partially complete project had cost nearly $3 million and nearly bankrupted the city in the process.

The site is named after fur trader John Cole, who established a trading post near the rapids in 1776.^[3]

In 2009 a proposal was made to conduct an archeological assessment of the site and propose the site be made a historic site.^[4] Prince Albert Tourism was also considering developing a tour to the site using water access.^[5] In 2007 an engineering thesis was written outlining how the site could be converted into a spa.^[6]

References