Dammed if you do, Damned if you don't.

Dammed if you do, Damned if you don't
or
That Damned Dam
14 November 2008

When the Springbank dam broke, many of us were surprized to learn it's primary purpose was NOT flood control, but to provide an adequate waterway in terms of depth and width of water for recreational use.

At present, withe dam not working and the waterway wide open, two conflicting interests have presented themselves, which you can see above in the photographs.

There is very little more Canadian in nature than paddling a canoe. Much of our history was opened by the canoe, and it continues to be a very popular recreation to this very day. As strange as it sounds, even though Ontario is a land of rivers and lake, in southern Ontario, there are not that many places to go canoeing, and those places you can often charge a fee or admission or the like.

Having free and open access to a river for canoeing and other recreational boating is important and draws in tourist dollars.

The flip side is fishing. I have wandered down along river trails since childhood, and never in my life have I seen so many people fishing in the river as I have this year, ever since the dam broke and was left open. I have also never seen the river so clean looking either.

How does that old saying go - when a door closes a window opens? Something like that. Point is, fishing brings in a lot of money too, in tourism and recreational dollars spent. I wonder which brings in more dollars to the local economy in the long run - canoeing or fishing? I suspect the two are evenly matched in the long run.

So when the decision comes to either repair the dam or not, I can see the debate over competing but equally valid uses for the Thames River will leave City Council in between the proverbial "rock and a hard place.