Hot-dip galvanized steel proved to be the perfect solution for major upgrades to the Candle Lake Control Structure, located at a popular recreational site in Northern Saskatchewan. The structure controls outflow from Candle Lake into the Torch River, ensuring consistent lake levels for the cottagers, campers, and anglers who frequent this popular lake.

Built in 1977, the original control structure required extensive upgrades to meet modern standards for operability, maintenance, and operator safety. The primary upgrade was the construction of a monorail hoist superstructure used for raising and lowering bulkheads for lake level control as well as for isolating the radial gates for maintenance. These upgrades were also designed with public safety in mind as the control structure is adjacent to a Provincial Park campground and provides pedestrian access to popular beaches and hiking trails on the far side of the structure. Given the proximity to the campground, construction was scheduled to avoid camping season and was completed during the cold northern Saskatchewan winter, between September 2023 and March 2024.

Hot-dip galvanizing was the ideal solution for the steel onsite and checked off many requirements: it is shop-applied, durable, long-lasting, resistant to bump and abrasion damage, and doesn’t chip or peel. Furthermore, it requires no ongoing maintenance, resists vandalism and graffiti, fits in well with the chain-link fencing used on site, and retains its aesthetic qualities well into the future. Lastly it just looks really nice, both now and well into the future, which is important given that this structure will always be “in the public eye” due to its proximity to the adjacent Provincial Park campground.