ATIKOKAN — The Ontario government plans to make improvements to an 80-year-old dam in the Atikokan area.
The Wagita Bay concrete dam was one of numerous water control structures built in the 1940s to facilitate the draining and dredging of Steep Rock Lake.
This was necessary to provide access to what was the richest undeveloped deposit of iron ore in North America at the height of the Second World War.
Production began in 1944 and continued until 1980.
But various dams remain in place and must be maintained, partly to prevent the spread of 210 million cubic metres of dredged sediments to other waterways.
The Ministry of Natural Resources has identified the Wagita dam as one of 10 across the province it plans to rehabilitate at a total cost of $75 million.
It says construction will take place over the next four years, and will extend the life of each dam by up to 100 years.
According to the ministry, the investment is in response to past recommendations made by the province's Auditor General.
