Daniel-Johnson Dam
Encyclopedia
The Daniel-Johnson Dam , formerly known as Manic-5, is a multiple arch buttress dam
on the Manicouagan River
which creates Manicouagan Reservoir
. The dam is composed of 14 buttresses and 13 arches and is 214 km (133 mi) north of Baie-Comeau in Quebec
, Canada
. The dam was constructed between 1959 and 1970 for the purpose of hydroelectric
power production and supplies water to the Manic-5 and Manic-5-PA power house
s. The dam is 214 m (702 ft) tall, 1314 m (4,311 ft) long and contains 2200000 m³ (2,877,491.4 cu yd) of concrete, making it the largest dam of its type in the world.
The dam was named after Daniel Johnson, Sr., the 20th Premier of Quebec
who was responsible for starting the project. Johnson died on 26 September 1968, on the day he was to preside over the scheduled inauguration of the dam. The facility is owned and operated by Hydro-Québec
.
After the Second World War, the discovery of large iron deposits on the North Shore and the increased forestry activity led to a rapid development of the region. The area's largest cities, Sept-Îles
and Baie-Comeau, were now linked to the rest of the province by a road
. At the same time, industrial development in southern Quebec required a larger electric supply. Improvements in long distance electric transmission technologies were also a consideration at the time. Significant advances in the field, including the construction of two 315-kilovolt lines, between the Bersimis complex, west of the Manicouagan system, and Montreal, (completed in 1956), lifted another obstacle.
In 1955, Hydro-Québec launched an 5-year extensive assessment of the Manicouagan's suitability. These studies demonstrated the exceptional potential of the river and stressed the advantages of building a multi-dam system in order take full advantage of the terrain and water flows. The data collected at the time was so promising that Hydro-Québec did not wait for the working group to submit their final recommendations. By 1959, a decision was made and construction of a 210 kilometres (130 mi) access road from Baie-Comeau was started. The original project, the Manicouagan-Outardes project, included the construction of five dams on the Manicouagan River (Manic-1
, Manic-2, Manic-3, Manic-4 and Manic-5) and three on the Outardes River (Outardes-2
, Outardes-3
and Outardes-4
). However, a miscalculation prevented the construction of the Manic-4 dam and powerhouse because engineers realized early on that it would encroach on the Manic-3 reservoir.
In 1959, the Premier of Quebec
, Maurice Duplessis
, wanted a U.S. firm to construct the dam but Quebec's Minister of Water Resources at the time, Daniel Johnson was against the idea. Johnson believed that the skill of a Canadian firm and workers was well suited for the construction of such a complex dam. Duplessis' successor in 1959, Paul Sauvé
agreed with Johnson and he continued to pave the way for the dam. Eventually, engineers would choose André Coyne
's design for a multiple arch buttress dam as the most suitable and economical.
s were built. The first was a concrete arch upstream from the dam site which would block the river, forcing it into the diversion tunnels. The second cofferdam was downstream and prevented water from flowing back into the construction site. Each cofferdam was built on alluvial deposits (loose soil) so they needed to be watertight which was accomplished with either a grout curtain
or deep supporting piles
. Once the river was diverted, workers pumped the remaining water out between the two cofferdams in order to prepare the site for construction. Once drained, workers excavated the alluvial deposits between the cofferdams creating a long pit that was 150 ft (45.7 m) deep at the center. This pit was then filled with concrete in the summer of 1962. To prevent seepage in the dam's foundation, a grout curtain was injected in the bedrock and a drainage network with 2400 ft (731.5 m) of tunnels was constructed just downstream of the dam to collect water that may seep through.
After the extensive preparatory works were complete, the first concrete for the dam was poured on October 3, 1962. Concrete was poured day and night but was halted during the winter because of freezing temperatures. To organize the pouring, the dam was split into 45 ft (13.7 m) plots and each was raised about 5 or 6 ft. at a time. Workers had about 150 days - before seasonal flooding - to construct the dam to a height of at least 250 ft (76.2 m). Before flooding began, engineers planned to seal the diversion tunnels and begin filling the reservoir. To speed the pouring process, concrete was poured in casts by buckets that moved along three cableways suspended above the construction site. The deadline was met within the 150 days and a total of 1000000 cu yd (764,554.9 m³) of concrete was poured. The dam was eventually completed in 1968.
On September 25, 1968, the government-owned utility organized a ceremony to mark the completion of the Manicouagan-5 dam. Hundreds of dignitaries, politicians, utility executives, financiers, engineers and journalists were ferried by plane from Montreal, Quebec City and New York to the work-site to attend a banquet and a plaque unveiling ceremony.
Among the guests were Quebec Union Nationale Premier, Daniel Johnson Sr., his predecessor, Jean Lesage
, and René Lévesque
, the former Hydraulic Resources minister responsible for the consolidation of all investor-owned utilities into Hydro-Québec. Photographs taken at the banquet show the three men were in excellent spirits, holding hands and smiling, although relations between the Liberal leader and his former cabinet minister were strained by Lévesque's recent defection to the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
, a precursor of the Parti Québécois
.
In his authorized biography, Hydro-Québec executive, Robert A. Boyd
, recalls being woken up at 6 a.m. the next morning by his boss, Roland Giroux
. "I've got bad news, Robert...", said Giroux, adding that he just found the Premier lying dead in his bed. Johnson's sudden demise sent shock waves at the work-site and across the province and the dedication ceremony was quickly canceled.
On September 26, 1969, a year to the day after Johnson's death, the new Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand
accompanied by Johnson's widow and children, unveiled two plaques and officially dedicated the dam after his predecessor. Both plaques now sit side by side at the top of the complex.
. The Daniel-Johnson Dam is a 214 m (702 ft) tall and 1312 m (4,304.5 ft) long multiple-arch buttress dam. Of the dam's 14 total buttresses, the two that form the center arch are 530 ft (161.5 m) apart at their base while the others are about 250 ft (76.2 m) apart. At its thickest point, the center, the dam is 22.5 m (74 ft) wide while the crest can reach about 3 m (10 ft) wide. Pressure from water behind the dam is transferred from the dam's arches to its buttresses and lastly into the ground or its foundation.
The dam was constructed with a high-quality concrete designed to withstand constant thawing and freezing associated with its environment. To further help the structure cope with the climate, engineers placed one inch steel reinforcing bars within the upstream and downstream faces of the dam. The concrete's strength in compression was initially 4,500 lbs. per square inch to meet an estimated 1,500 PSI within the structure. The upstream face of the dam was also coated in asphalt for protection against water. Despite the strength of the dam's concrete, two parallel inclined cracks were discovered on one of the arches shortly after construction.
The dam impounded the Manicougan River, which filled the Earth's fifth largest confirmed impact crater
, the Manicouagan crater
, creating Manicouagan Reservoir. Coincidentally, the reservoir itself is the fifth largest in the world as well. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 350 m (1,148.3 ft) feet, mean depth of 85 m (278.9 ft) and contains 142 km³ (34.1 cu mi) of water. While draining an area of 29241 km (18,169.6 mi), it has a surface area of 1950 square kilometre and shoreline of 1322 km (821.5 mi).
The reservoir is a well known area for Atlantic salmon
, lake trout
and northern pike
fishing
, although tall trees flooded during the impoundment have not decomposed due to a lack of oxygen, which can sometimes interfere with the sport.
The priming of the reservoir also created a large artificial island
in the center of the Manicouagan reservoir by merging two crescent-shaped lakes: Mouchalagane Lake on the western side and Manicouagan Lake on the eastern side. Covering an area of 2020 sqkm, René-Levasseur Island
is considered to be the second largest island in the world located in a lake, in terms of area (the largest is Manitoulin Island
in Lake Huron
).
The island was named after René Levasseur, the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Daniel-Johnson dam. Levasseur died at the age of 35, only days before the dam's inauguration.
turbines
, capable of producing up to of power, which went online in 1970. The second powerhouse, the Manic-5-PA (PA stands for puissance additionnelle or additional power), was commissioned in 1989, and consists of four Francis turbines of in total installed capacity.
The designers of the Manic-5 decided on an above ground power house that was downstream of the dam for safety and cost. The intake was built on the east side of the dam and supplies two 3400 ft (1,036.3 m), long 36 ft (11 m) diameter concrete-lined penstock
s (tunnels). Just before reaching the power house and its eight turbines, each penstock splits into four branches. The power house is about 2500 ft (762 m) downstream of the dam and utilizes two surge tank
s for sudden rises in water pressure from the two penstocks. Each surge tank has a 80 ft (24.4 m) diameter expansion chamber and is about 40 ft (12.2 m) higher than the actual dam structure. The surge tanks protect the penstocks and turbines from water hammer
which would occur if the turbine gates were quickly closed and water pressure suddenly increases.
in Quebec, a time when recently nationalized "Hydro-Québec rapidly becomes a symbol of the new Quebec nationalism and of the new economic strategy of the State", explains historian Paul-André Linteau.
This newfound euphoric attitude is found in newspapers of the period. In a series of papers published in Montreal's La Presse, Renaude Lapointe
calls Hydro-Québec a "colossus on the march". In this context, the construction of the complex is closely followed by the public and becomes part of the popular culture of that era.
For instance, chansonnier
Georges Dor
penned his huge 1966 hit, La Manic. The song tells the story of a construction worker at the remote jobsite who describes his loneliness to his wife in words that captured the collective imagination of the Quebec public.
Belgian-born novelist Henri Vernes
was also inspired by the gigantic project and made the Manic-5 project the setting of one of his Bob Morane
adventure novel
s. Terreur à la Manicouagan is about an attempt by arch-villain Roman Orgonetz to breach the dam by destroying the surge chamber by remote-controlled detonation, a plan foiled by Morane and his Scottish
sidekick
, Bill Ballantine. Prior to writing his novel, Vernes spent some time at the worksite, at the invitation of the Quebec government
and Hydro-Québec. The book was launched in 1965 at the Hydro-Québec Building in Montreal.
Other notable visitors to the construction site included famous cartoonist
Hergé
, who left an original drawing of his characters Tintin
the reporter and his dog Snowy
posing in front of a ligne claire
depiction of the dam. A colorized version of the autograph
ed drawing is featured at the Jean-Lesage generating station visitor's center, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) north of Baie-Comeau.
In the late 60s, a Montreal-based public relations officer with Renault Canada
, Jacques About, was asked by the company to study the feasibility of introducing the Renault Alpine sports car into Canada. About's survey showed some potential but the manufacturer ultimately decided against introducing the model in its North American offerings. The Montrealer decided to leave the company and start his own manufacturing business, Automobiles Manic Inc., in 1968. After gaining financial support from public and private backers, including Bombardier
and Steinberg's supermarkets, his company started building a 2-seat sport coupe
based on the Alpine A110
, the Manic GT
. Due to disappointing sales, the company stopped making the car in 1971.
The hydroelectric project also gave its name to Montreal's first foray into professional soccer, the short-lived Montreal Manic
. The franchise competed for three seasons in the North American Soccer League
in the early 80s. In March 2000, the Canada Post Corporation issued a 46 cent stamp
featuring the Dam as part of a 4-stamp Millenium Collection
sheet depicting "engineering and technological marvels".
, accessible by car 5 minutes away, is a nice picnic
spot and offers the visitor a majestic view of the dam, which is lit at night .
Although picture-taking is allowed in the visitor's center and outside, cameras are forbidden inside the powerhouses, as part of tightened security measures implemented after a Radio-Canada
television crew entered the unguarded Manic-5-PA and Robert-Bourassa
powerhouses in February 2005. The incident led to the resignations of Hydro-Québec's CEO André Caillé
, and chairman of the Board André Bourbeau
, less than two months later.
To access the dam from Baie-Comeau, visitors must take the narrow, winding Route 389
. The dam is about 3 hours away. In 2009, 8,217 people visited this remote facility.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Manicouagan River
Manicouagan River
The Manicouagan River is a river in Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. The river originates at the Daniel-Johnson Dam of the Manicouagan Reservoir and flows approximately south, emptying into the Saint Lawrence River near Baie-Comeau...
which creates Manicouagan Reservoir
Manicouagan Reservoir
Manicouagan Reservoir is an annular lake in central Quebec, Canada. The lake covers an area of 1,942 km², and its eastern shore is accessible via Route 389. The island in the centre of the lake is known as René-Levasseur Island, and its highest point is Mount Babel...
. The dam is composed of 14 buttresses and 13 arches and is 214 km (133 mi) north of Baie-Comeau in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The dam was constructed between 1959 and 1970 for the purpose of hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power production and supplies water to the Manic-5 and Manic-5-PA power house
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s. The dam is 214 m (702 ft) tall, 1314 m (4,311 ft) long and contains 2200000 m³ (2,877,491.4 cu yd) of concrete, making it the largest dam of its type in the world.
The dam was named after Daniel Johnson, Sr., the 20th Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
who was responsible for starting the project. Johnson died on 26 September 1968, on the day he was to preside over the scheduled inauguration of the dam. The facility is owned and operated by Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
.
Background
During the summers of 1919 and 1920, hydrological studies were conducted on the Manicouagan and Outardes rivers, flowing into the St. Lawrence near the town of Baie-Comeau. The combined flow was then estimated at 40 million cubic meters, making it one of the largest hydrological systems in Canada. Although harnessing of this potential was considered interesting, its distance from major load centers and the lack of roads in the area were identified as major drawbacks. In addition, building dams in the wilderness was considered too costly.After the Second World War, the discovery of large iron deposits on the North Shore and the increased forestry activity led to a rapid development of the region. The area's largest cities, Sept-Îles
Sept-Îles, Quebec
For the islands in north of Brittany, see JentilezSept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population...
and Baie-Comeau, were now linked to the rest of the province by a road
Quebec route 138
Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the Saint Lawrence River past Montreal to the eastern terminus in Natashquan on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal...
. At the same time, industrial development in southern Quebec required a larger electric supply. Improvements in long distance electric transmission technologies were also a consideration at the time. Significant advances in the field, including the construction of two 315-kilovolt lines, between the Bersimis complex, west of the Manicouagan system, and Montreal, (completed in 1956), lifted another obstacle.
In 1955, Hydro-Québec launched an 5-year extensive assessment of the Manicouagan's suitability. These studies demonstrated the exceptional potential of the river and stressed the advantages of building a multi-dam system in order take full advantage of the terrain and water flows. The data collected at the time was so promising that Hydro-Québec did not wait for the working group to submit their final recommendations. By 1959, a decision was made and construction of a 210 kilometres (130 mi) access road from Baie-Comeau was started. The original project, the Manicouagan-Outardes project, included the construction of five dams on the Manicouagan River (Manic-1
Manic-1
Manic-1 is a hydroelectric power station and dam at the mouth of the Manicouagan River west of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada. The power station was commissioned between 1966 and 1967 and producing 184 MW, it is the smallest of the Manicouagan-Outardes project....
, Manic-2, Manic-3, Manic-4 and Manic-5) and three on the Outardes River (Outardes-2
Outardes-2
Outardes-2 is a hydroelectric power station and dam on the Outardes River southwest of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada. The power station was commissioned in 1978 and is run-of-the-river....
, Outardes-3
Outardes-3
Outardes-3 is a hydroelectric power station and dam on the Outardes River northwest of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada. The power station was commissioned in 1969 and is run-of-the-river....
and Outardes-4
Outardes-4
Outardes-4 is a hydroelectric power station and dam on the Outardes River northwest of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada. The power station was commissioned in 1969 and is supplied by the Outardes-4 Reservoir which is created by seven additional dams....
). However, a miscalculation prevented the construction of the Manic-4 dam and powerhouse because engineers realized early on that it would encroach on the Manic-3 reservoir.
In 1959, the Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
, Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
, wanted a U.S. firm to construct the dam but Quebec's Minister of Water Resources at the time, Daniel Johnson was against the idea. Johnson believed that the skill of a Canadian firm and workers was well suited for the construction of such a complex dam. Duplessis' successor in 1959, Paul Sauvé
Paul Sauvé
Joseph-Mignault-Paul Sauvé was a Quebec lawyer, World War II veteran and politician. He was the first Quebec Premier to be born in the 20th century.-Life:...
agreed with Johnson and he continued to pave the way for the dam. Eventually, engineers would choose André Coyne
Andre Coyne
André Coyne was a French dam engineer who designed 70 dams in 14 countries. Coyne's creations include the Daniel-Johnson Dam, on the Manicouagan River in Quebec, which is the world's largest multiple-arch dam at 214 meters height and a span of 162 meters.Coyne's first major achievement, which...
's design for a multiple arch buttress dam as the most suitable and economical.
Construction
Construction on the dam's support facilities began in 1959 and the river diversion tunnels and foundation preparation commenced in 1960. To divert the Manicoagan River, workers blasted and dug two 2000 ft (609.6 m) long and 45 ft (13.7 m) diameter tunnels through the gorge's solid granite west wall. Workers used "jumbo" drilling platforms and the tunnels progressed 14 ft (4.3 m) each shift. To facilitate the river's diversion, two cofferdamCofferdam
A cofferdam is a temporary enclosure built within, or in pairs across, a body of water and constructed to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out, creating a dry work environment for the major work to proceed...
s were built. The first was a concrete arch upstream from the dam site which would block the river, forcing it into the diversion tunnels. The second cofferdam was downstream and prevented water from flowing back into the construction site. Each cofferdam was built on alluvial deposits (loose soil) so they needed to be watertight which was accomplished with either a grout curtain
Grout curtain
Grout curtains are barriers that protect a dam from seepage and can be used in initial construction or repair. Additionally, they can be used to strengthen foundations and contain spills.-Characteristics:...
or deep supporting piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
. Once the river was diverted, workers pumped the remaining water out between the two cofferdams in order to prepare the site for construction. Once drained, workers excavated the alluvial deposits between the cofferdams creating a long pit that was 150 ft (45.7 m) deep at the center. This pit was then filled with concrete in the summer of 1962. To prevent seepage in the dam's foundation, a grout curtain was injected in the bedrock and a drainage network with 2400 ft (731.5 m) of tunnels was constructed just downstream of the dam to collect water that may seep through.
After the extensive preparatory works were complete, the first concrete for the dam was poured on October 3, 1962. Concrete was poured day and night but was halted during the winter because of freezing temperatures. To organize the pouring, the dam was split into 45 ft (13.7 m) plots and each was raised about 5 or 6 ft. at a time. Workers had about 150 days - before seasonal flooding - to construct the dam to a height of at least 250 ft (76.2 m). Before flooding began, engineers planned to seal the diversion tunnels and begin filling the reservoir. To speed the pouring process, concrete was poured in casts by buckets that moved along three cableways suspended above the construction site. The deadline was met within the 150 days and a total of 1000000 cu yd (764,554.9 m³) of concrete was poured. The dam was eventually completed in 1968.
Dedication and Naming
Among the guests were Quebec Union Nationale Premier, Daniel Johnson Sr., his predecessor, Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
, and René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
, the former Hydraulic Resources minister responsible for the consolidation of all investor-owned utilities into Hydro-Québec. Photographs taken at the banquet show the three men were in excellent spirits, holding hands and smiling, although relations between the Liberal leader and his former cabinet minister were strained by Lévesque's recent defection to the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
The Mouvement Souveraineté-Association was formed on November 19, 1967 by René Lévesque to promote the concept of sovereignty-association between Quebec and the rest of Canada....
, a precursor of the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
.
In his authorized biography, Hydro-Québec executive, Robert A. Boyd
Robert A. Boyd
Robert A. Boyd, CM, OQ was a Canadian electric engineer and utility executive. He successfully led the construction of first phase of the James Bay hydroelectric project, a large dam complex built in northern Quebec by Hydro-Québec during the 1970s and early 1980s.Born in Sherbrooke in the Eastern...
, recalls being woken up at 6 a.m. the next morning by his boss, Roland Giroux
Roland Giroux
Roland Giroux, was from 1969 to 1977 the Chairman of the Quebec Hydro-Electric Commission ....
. "I've got bad news, Robert...", said Giroux, adding that he just found the Premier lying dead in his bed. Johnson's sudden demise sent shock waves at the work-site and across the province and the dedication ceremony was quickly canceled.
On September 26, 1969, a year to the day after Johnson's death, the new Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
accompanied by Johnson's widow and children, unveiled two plaques and officially dedicated the dam after his predecessor. Both plaques now sit side by side at the top of the complex.
Dam
The design was chosen for strength and economical reasons as it used less concrete or material than a gravity or embankment damEmbankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
. The Daniel-Johnson Dam is a 214 m (702 ft) tall and 1312 m (4,304.5 ft) long multiple-arch buttress dam. Of the dam's 14 total buttresses, the two that form the center arch are 530 ft (161.5 m) apart at their base while the others are about 250 ft (76.2 m) apart. At its thickest point, the center, the dam is 22.5 m (74 ft) wide while the crest can reach about 3 m (10 ft) wide. Pressure from water behind the dam is transferred from the dam's arches to its buttresses and lastly into the ground or its foundation.
The dam was constructed with a high-quality concrete designed to withstand constant thawing and freezing associated with its environment. To further help the structure cope with the climate, engineers placed one inch steel reinforcing bars within the upstream and downstream faces of the dam. The concrete's strength in compression was initially 4,500 lbs. per square inch to meet an estimated 1,500 PSI within the structure. The upstream face of the dam was also coated in asphalt for protection against water. Despite the strength of the dam's concrete, two parallel inclined cracks were discovered on one of the arches shortly after construction.
Reservoir
The dam impounded the Manicougan River, which filled the Earth's fifth largest confirmed impact crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
, the Manicouagan crater
Manicouagan crater
The Manicouagan Crater is one of the oldest known impact craters and is located primarily in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Québec, Canada, about north of the city of Baie-Comeau. Its northernmost part is located in Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality...
, creating Manicouagan Reservoir. Coincidentally, the reservoir itself is the fifth largest in the world as well. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 350 m (1,148.3 ft) feet, mean depth of 85 m (278.9 ft) and contains 142 km³ (34.1 cu mi) of water. While draining an area of 29241 km (18,169.6 mi), it has a surface area of 1950 square kilometre and shoreline of 1322 km (821.5 mi).
The reservoir is a well known area for Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
, lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
and northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
, although tall trees flooded during the impoundment have not decomposed due to a lack of oxygen, which can sometimes interfere with the sport.
The priming of the reservoir also created a large artificial island
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
in the center of the Manicouagan reservoir by merging two crescent-shaped lakes: Mouchalagane Lake on the western side and Manicouagan Lake on the eastern side. Covering an area of 2020 sqkm, René-Levasseur Island
René-Levasseur Island
René-Levasseur Island is a large island in the center of Lake Manicouagan in Quebec, Canada. Its highest peak is Mount Babel, at 952 m . With a total area of 2,020 km² , the island is larger in terms of area than the lake in which it is situated...
is considered to be the second largest island in the world located in a lake, in terms of area (the largest is Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
in Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
).
The island was named after René Levasseur, the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Daniel-Johnson dam. Levasseur died at the age of 35, only days before the dam's inauguration.
Powerhouses
The dam fuels two powerhouses, the Manic-5 and Manic-5-PA. The first powerhouse consists of eight FrancisFrancis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
turbines
Water turbine
A water turbine is a rotary engine that takes energy from moving water.Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now they are mostly used for electric power generation. They harness a clean and renewable energy...
, capable of producing up to of power, which went online in 1970. The second powerhouse, the Manic-5-PA (PA stands for puissance additionnelle or additional power), was commissioned in 1989, and consists of four Francis turbines of in total installed capacity.
The designers of the Manic-5 decided on an above ground power house that was downstream of the dam for safety and cost. The intake was built on the east side of the dam and supplies two 3400 ft (1,036.3 m), long 36 ft (11 m) diameter concrete-lined penstock
Penstock
A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....
s (tunnels). Just before reaching the power house and its eight turbines, each penstock splits into four branches. The power house is about 2500 ft (762 m) downstream of the dam and utilizes two surge tank
Surge tank
A surge tank is a standpipe or storage reservoir at the downstream end of a closed aqueduct or feeder pipe to absorb sudden rises of pressure as well as to quickly provide extra water during a brief drop in pressure...
s for sudden rises in water pressure from the two penstocks. Each surge tank has a 80 ft (24.4 m) diameter expansion chamber and is about 40 ft (12.2 m) higher than the actual dam structure. The surge tanks protect the penstocks and turbines from water hammer
Water hammer
Water hammer is a pressure surge or wave resulting when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly . Water hammer commonly occurs when a valve is closed suddenly at an end of a pipeline system, and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe...
which would occur if the turbine gates were quickly closed and water pressure suddenly increases.
Cultural and political significance
The construction of the Daniel-Johnson Dam and the Manic-Outardes complex happened in a larger social and political context of the Quiet RevolutionQuiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
in Quebec, a time when recently nationalized "Hydro-Québec rapidly becomes a symbol of the new Quebec nationalism and of the new economic strategy of the State", explains historian Paul-André Linteau.
This newfound euphoric attitude is found in newspapers of the period. In a series of papers published in Montreal's La Presse, Renaude Lapointe
Renaude Lapointe
Louise Marguerite Renaude Lapointe, PC, CC was a Canadian journalist and a Senator. She was among the first Canadian women to work as a professional journalist and the first French-Canadian woman to preside over the Senate.Born in Disraeli, Quebec the daughter of Joseph-Alphonse Lapointe and...
calls Hydro-Québec a "colossus on the march". In this context, the construction of the complex is closely followed by the public and becomes part of the popular culture of that era.
For instance, chansonnier
Chansonnier
A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...
Georges Dor
Georges Dor
Georges Dor was a Québécois author, composer, playwright, singer, poet, translator, and theatrical producer and director....
penned his huge 1966 hit, La Manic. The song tells the story of a construction worker at the remote jobsite who describes his loneliness to his wife in words that captured the collective imagination of the Quebec public.
Belgian-born novelist Henri Vernes
Henri Vernes
Charles-Henri-Jean Dewisme , better known by his pen name Henri Vernes, is a well-known author of action and science-fiction novels, of which has he published over 200 titles...
was also inspired by the gigantic project and made the Manic-5 project the setting of one of his Bob Morane
Bob Morane
Bob Morane, a creation of French-speaking Belgian novelist Henri Vernes, the pseudonym of Charles-Henri Dewisme, is a series of adventure books in French, featuring an eponymous protagonist...
adventure novel
Adventure novel
The adventure novel is a genre of novels that has adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, as its main theme.-History:...
s. Terreur à la Manicouagan is about an attempt by arch-villain Roman Orgonetz to breach the dam by destroying the surge chamber by remote-controlled detonation, a plan foiled by Morane and his Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
, Bill Ballantine. Prior to writing his novel, Vernes spent some time at the worksite, at the invitation of the Quebec government
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
and Hydro-Québec. The book was launched in 1965 at the Hydro-Québec Building in Montreal.
Other notable visitors to the construction site included famous cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Hergé
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, although he was also...
, who left an original drawing of his characters Tintin
Tintin (character)
Tintin is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Tintin is the protagonist of the series, a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy....
the reporter and his dog Snowy
Snowy (character)
Snowy is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is a white Wire Fox Terrier and Tintin's four-legged companion who travels everywhere with him...
posing in front of a ligne claire
Ligne claire
Ligne claire is a style of drawing pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin. It uses clear strong lines of uniform importance. Artists working in it do not use hatching, while contrast is downplayed as well...
depiction of the dam. A colorized version of the autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
ed drawing is featured at the Jean-Lesage generating station visitor's center, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) north of Baie-Comeau.
In the late 60s, a Montreal-based public relations officer with Renault Canada
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, Jacques About, was asked by the company to study the feasibility of introducing the Renault Alpine sports car into Canada. About's survey showed some potential but the manufacturer ultimately decided against introducing the model in its North American offerings. The Montrealer decided to leave the company and start his own manufacturing business, Automobiles Manic Inc., in 1968. After gaining financial support from public and private backers, including Bombardier
Bombardier Recreational Products
Bombardier Recreational Products or BRP is a Canadian company that traces its roots back to the year 1942 when Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.In 2003, Bombardier Inc...
and Steinberg's supermarkets, his company started building a 2-seat sport coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
based on the Alpine A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
, the Manic GT
Manic GT
The Manic GT was a two-seater sports car built in Canada from 1969-1971, first in Terrebonne, Quebec and later in Sorel, Quebec ....
. Due to disappointing sales, the company stopped making the car in 1971.
The hydroelectric project also gave its name to Montreal's first foray into professional soccer, the short-lived Montreal Manic
Montreal Manic
Montreal Manic were a soccer team based out of Montreal that played in the NASL. They played from 1981 to 1983. Their home field was Olympic Stadium...
. The franchise competed for three seasons in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the early 80s. In March 2000, the Canada Post Corporation issued a 46 cent stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
featuring the Dam as part of a 4-stamp Millenium Collection
Canada Post millennium stamps
Due to popular demand, Canada Post released the 68 specially designed stamps as a series of 17 Millennium souvenir sheets, each depicting four different stamps, starting December 17, 1999 through to March 17, 2000.-December 1999:...
sheet depicting "engineering and technological marvels".
Guided tours
The dam is also a tourist attraction. Since the 1960s, Hydro-Québec organizes four daily tours of the facility between June 24, Quebec's National Day, and August 31. Off-season tours can also be arranged by appointment. The 2-hour tour includes a briefing on the construction and operation of the facility, a visit of the Manic-5 powerhouse and a bus ride to the base and the crest of the Daniel-Johnson dam, which offers a spectacular panorama of the Manicouagan River valley. A belvedereBelvedere (structure)
Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
, accessible by car 5 minutes away, is a nice picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
spot and offers the visitor a majestic view of the dam, which is lit at night .
Although picture-taking is allowed in the visitor's center and outside, cameras are forbidden inside the powerhouses, as part of tightened security measures implemented after a Radio-Canada
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
television crew entered the unguarded Manic-5-PA and Robert-Bourassa
Robert-Bourassa generating station
The Robert-Bourassa generating station is a hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River that is part of Hydro-Québec's James Bay Project in Canada...
powerhouses in February 2005. The incident led to the resignations of Hydro-Québec's CEO André Caillé
André Caillé
André Caillé is an Canadian electricity company executive.André Caillé was the chairman of Hydro-Québec from September 2004 to November 2007 ant the thairman of the World Energy Congress. From October 1996 until April 2005, he was president and chief executive officer of Hydro-Québec...
, and chairman of the Board André Bourbeau
André Bourbeau
André Bourbeau, CQ is a former Canadian politician.Born in Verdun, Quebec, the son of Louis-Auguste Bourbeau and Antoinette Miquelon, Bourbeau studied at the Séminaire de Sherbrooke and the University of Montreal before receiving a Diploma in Law from McGill University in 1959. He became a notary...
, less than two months later.
To access the dam from Baie-Comeau, visitors must take the narrow, winding Route 389
Quebec route 389
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay...
. The dam is about 3 hours away. In 2009, 8,217 people visited this remote facility.
See also
- Jean-Lesage generating station
- René-Lévesque generating station
- Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission systemHydro-Québec's electricity transmission systemHydro-Québec's electricity transmission system is an expansive, international power transmission system located in Quebec, Canada with extensions into the Northeastern United States...
- History of Hydro-QuébecHistory of Hydro-QuébecHydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. The company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec. Its head office is located in Montreal.-Origins:...
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
- List of power stations in Canada