Region of Waterloo adding new safety signs, buoys near dam where two women died in July 2024

CTV’s Jeff Pickel takes a look at new safety features being added to a Kitchener dam after two people drowned last summer.

The Region of Waterloo will be adding new warning and danger signs along the Grand River near the Hidden Valley Dam.

The move comes after two women went over the dam in a floatie last July. Both of them died.

In the aftermath, other river users raised concerns that the current warning signs were not only inadequate but poorly maintained.

Amy Haertel, an avid kayaker, paddled the same route. She documented what she saw and took her concerns to regional council. She explained that the Grand River is often slow-moving, which gives people a false sense of safety.

“You can just lazy float down the river, but sometimes it can be up to 10 times faster than that, especially after a hard rain,” said Haertel, adding that dams can easily catch people by surprise.

“They give off an infinity pool effect, if you don’t know they’re there,” she explained. “It’s really difficult to navigate that. It can really catch you off guard.”

The region said it will now be adding new, and larger signs, starting one kilometre from the Hidden Valley Dam.

“These include replacing the existing buoys, adding a few extra and upgrading some of the signage along the river using everyday plain language in terms of outlining where the exit is, and replacing some of the smaller signs with bigger signage, so it’s very clear that there’s infrastructure on the Grand River and that’s to be avoided,” explained Mari MacNeil, the director of water and wastewater infrastructure for the Region of Waterloo.

The wording on those signs will also be adjusted.

“Using language such as ‘exit’ as opposed to ‘portage,’ we don’t want to assume that everybody understands that a portage is,” MacNeil said.

The region is also considering adding a boom at the Hidden Valley Dam. They are currently doing hydraulic tests to see if it will work in that area.

“I think it’s prudent that we’re studying that and what the region is doing at the moment is to ensure that that boom itself doesn’t pose any further risk to folks recreating on the Grand River,” said MacNeil.

Haertel went out for her first kayak trip of the season on Wednesday. She praised the region for taking action.

“I think the changes that the region has made are wonderful,” she said. “Definitely going to save some lives or make it much safer around that dam in particular.”

The new signage and buoys will be installed in the coming weeks.

The region also reminded residents to be cautious around dams when enjoying recreational activities in and along the Grand River.