Outdoor Hiking Trails in London, Ontario – Fanshawe Conservation Area

Did you know that this is the home of the Fanshawe Dam? “The primary purpose of Fanshawe Dam and Reservoir is to assist in flood control efforts to reduce flood damage in the City of London. For most of the year, the amount of water released from the reservoir is the same as the amount of water entering from upstream. During a flood event, less water is released than comes into the reservoir, which results in the reservoir gradually filling up as the extra water is stored. After the flood, the stored water is gradually released. Some flooding may still occur but the flood peaks downstream may be reduced by five to 50 per percent, depending on the nature of the event (volume of water and duration),” (Upper Thames River Conservation Authority).

Some fun facts to think about as you explore the dam area (UTRCA):

• Historically, most of the major floods on the Thames River system occur during the spring snowmelt, but the most severe floods ever recorded (1883, 1937) occurred in the late spring or fall and were caused by extremely heavy or prolonged rainfall.
• The dam has reduced damages from significant floods at least a dozen times in the past 50 years.
• The hydroelectric plant at the base of Fanshawe Dam generates enough power to run 300 households.