Reaching another milestone in the construction of a third hydro tunnel built below the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, water has begun to fill up the intake area at the Chippawa end of the Niagara Tunnel Project. The valve was opened by Ontario Power Generation workers last month, to allow water to flow up to the gates of the tunnel.
Water has been kept out of the intake channel area by a temporary dam, during the six-year construction period. The dam is to be removed once the intake area is filled with water.
The tunnel is 10 kilometers long and expected to be in service before the end of 2013. The $1.6billion budget project will bring more water to the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectricity generators from the Upper Niagara River. The additional water supply will allow Ontario Power Generation to generate enough electricity to power approximately 160,000 homes.