Flinton Falls
Congratulations to kayakers2 for the First-To-Find!
To Log this Earthcache
You must send an email to me (click here) in order to log this cache as a find. Go ahead and submit your log as I cannot always respond to all emails. If I don't receive an email from you after 3 days, I will delete your found log. The email must include the following four requirements:
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The date of your visit to the falls.
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Estimate the width of the falls from the top.
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The approximate elevation drop of the water over the falls (take an elevation reading at the top and then take one at the bottom.)
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Two (2) photos that you took while visiting. One photo must be of the falls from the bottom, the other must be from the top. Make sure that your photos are obviously unique to you and not copied from a website (Please post these photos to your log instead of emailing them to me.). As always, photos are optional but greatly appreciated!
Do not post the answers to the questions in your log. I will delete your log right away if the answers are in the log. Please email them to me.
Skootamatta River
The name "Skootamatta" comes from the Ojibwe words meaning "burnt shoreline". The river starts off at Joeperry Lake in Bon Echo Provincial Park and flows south, meeting Skootamatta Lake. The water exits Skootamatta Lake, flowing south over Skootamatta Dam and continues south. It travels on, crossing O'Donnell road in two places. It picks up water from Deerock Lake via Partridge Creek. The river winds through the village of Flinton where it flows over the Flinton Falls. It continues south and crosses Hwy-7 near Hwy-37. It continues until it meets the Moira River, just north of Tweed, Ontario.
To see the river in Google Earth, click here 
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Flinton Falls - History
Waterfalls are formed over long periods of time by a powerful force called erosion. The water in a river slowly eats away at the ground beneath it, causing a gorge to develop. If sections of the ground beneath the river are made of softer materials and softer rock, these sections are eroded much faster than the sections made of hard, heavy rock. It is similar to what you may find on a hill on a dirt road after a heavy rainfall. The rain water makes a path through the softer, lesser travelled shoulders while the hard-packed area in the middle remains intact. The Flinton Falls were probably formed by the same process, only on a much larger scale.
In my animation above, the water erodes the light brown, softer rock (limestone and other sedimentary rock). When the water level recedes, there are outcroppings of hard, dark rock (volcanic rock) left over. This creates a waterfall like the Flinton Falls
Damming the Falls
In the early 1900s a large concrete dam was erected at the top of the Flinton Falls. The water was diverted through a channel to the other side of the road where its force was used to drive turbines. The turbines generated hydro electricity during the early days of the community. The remains of two turbines and the old channel are still visible today. To see them, walk to the edge of the bridge and, while facing south, the remnants of the turbine and power-generating structures are on your left. Have a look around but be careful. There are openings that lead directly to the river below that a child (or even an uncareful adult) could fall through.
There is a secondary falls that was left undammed; however, access to this falls is limited because the only viewing site is located on private property. In the summer, sometimes the water is low enough to walk across the top of the dam to see these secondary falls (however, it is not safe to do this so please, don't try)
Flinton Conservation Area
Flinton Conservation Area is a small 2 hectare conservation area located at the west end of Flinton. It contains the dam and some picnic tables. The conservation area is maintained by Quinte Conservation.
Photos of the Area
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The falls in autumn
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Close-up of the falls. You can get a great view by walking along the narrow ledge of the old channel
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The falls from further away
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The old bridge and the power house. The falls are off the frame to the left
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Remains of the old powerhouse on the south-east side of the road
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The remnants of the powerhouse
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An old, moss-covered turbine. There are two of these remaining
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The crumbling structure of the powerhouse
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Click on an image to view larger.
While at the falls, be sure to find my Flinton Falls traditional cache also! It's only metres from the falls!
Have fun caching and remember...be safe!