Flooding of The Mactaquac Headpond
Electrical generation began in 1968 after the reservoir had completely filled. The flooding of the valley resulted in the displacement of several thousand residents and land owners in areas such as Bear Island and other small communities, as well as the abandonment of a Canadian National Railway line and numerous local roads and several communities. An historic waterfall was also submerged as the reservoir filled.
The planned town of Nackawic, New Brunswick and the nearby Ste-Anne-de-Nackawic pulp and paper mill were built to accommodate the new reservoir and power opportunities.
Following the success of preserving historic buildings at Upper Canada Village when the upper St. Lawrence River valley was flooded by the Long Sault Dam, the government of New Brunswick created the King's Landing Historical Settlement to save several buildings which would otherwise have been flooded by the Mactaquac Headpond. Mactaquac Provincial Park was also created as a result of the dam. The recreational facilities and economic development created by dam-associated development are said to be inspired by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which undertook several similar projects in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, in the southern United States.
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