Description of Historic Place

The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station consist of a three-storey brick utilitarian Modern-International. They are located at the junction of the Madawaska and Saint John rivers, under the Boucher Bridge, in the City of Edmundston.

Heritage Value

The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are designated a Local Historic Place for having been in uninterrupted operation for nearly a century and for their role in the economy of Edmundston.

Considered historic monuments of the city of Edmundston, the Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are the second oldest dam and hydroelectric generating station in the region, after the ones in Grand Falls. They have produced a continuous supply of energy for almost a century. Featuring a run-of-the-river plant, they were built in 1917 by Fraser Ltd. to supply its pulp mill with energy. They form part of the energy production facilities of the City of Edmundston, the only city in New Brunswick that produces a portion of its own electricity.

The Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station are also recognized for their role in the economy of the Edmundston region, having enabled the Fraser Mill to perform efficiently during its first years of operation, thus guaranteeing jobs for its many employees from Edmundston. They also enabled the municipality to operate smoothly thanks to agreements with Fraser Ltd., which supplied Edmundston with the energy it lacked.

Source : Madawaska Historical Society, site file : "Barrage et la centrale hydroélectrique du Madawaska"

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Madawaska Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Station include:
- Modern-International-style three-storey building housing the turbines, with minimal renovations;
- still functional dam;
- their location at the junction of the Madawaska and Saint John rivers;
- concrete dam also used as a bridge to downtown Edmundston;
- concrete discharge channel with four sluice gates, each 2.4 m wide;
- two stop log bays, each 4.9 m wide;
- automated sluice gate 4.9 m wide;
- iron sluice gate;
- two vertical Francis turbines, each with a capacity of 750 KW.