Wawatay Falls

The Wawatay Generating Station was completed in 1992, marking the culmination of years of planning for Pic River for this old logging site on the Black River. The project was jointly developed with Sunridge Power and marks the first station planned, negotiated, and developed by Pic River. Over 60 band members played a significant role in the building and construction stages, laying the ground for a weir to collect water and a massive 148-foot drop to guide water into the station.

Environmental obstacles were mitigated wherever possible; for example, Pic River took extra measures to ensure that newly hatched trout species were maintained in a special backwater away from the primary outflow area until they were mature enough to join the river's natural course. Pic River owns a significant minority equity stake in the project and heralds it as the first true community economic development success story.