Click on the numbers to continue your self-guided tour
11. The Gorge
At the next lookout, you can enjoy the beauty of the gorge. It is approximately 2500 ft (762m) in length. There is a green building at the very end of the canyon that is the Hydro Pontiac Power house. This was completed in the spring of 1993. Just inside the gate, on the left as you entered the park is the entrance to the 1800ft (549m) underground tunnel. The water is diverted down that tunnel directly to the power house where two turbines generate a total of 16.2 megawatts which could supply 8000 homes with electricity.
River flow varies significantly season to season and from one year to the next. There are times when the river level is not sufficient; December, January, February and March typically, with some water shortages in late August and September, depending on precipitation levels. During the other months there is high water levels; April, May, June and sometimes October and November, depending on autumn rains. To help ensure continuous electrical generation, Hydro Pontiac currently operates four small CONTROL DAMS on lakes feeding into the Coulonge River; GIROUX, 200km upstream, GALE, 165km upstream, BRYSON, 106km upstream and WARD, 82km upstream. All of these lakes and controls structures were also used by the lumber companies for water storage to assist in floating logs down the Coulonge until the early 1980's.
