OUR PEOPLE:
PETER KOWALSKI
He’s been called “the man who controls Niagara Falls”, but Peter Kowalski can’t
help but chuckle at the title.
Sure, as Operating Manager of OPG’s Niagara River Control Centre, Kowalski
has oversight of regulating the flow of water over the falls on both the Canadian
and U.S. side. But the 57­year­old insists it’s entirely a team effort.
“I just laugh because I know my guys are ultimately the ones who do the work.
They’re the ones with the hands on the controls,” Kowalski said of the eight
hydroelectric operating supervisors under his watch who work rotating shifts at
the control tower. “Whatever I can do to make their job better, that’s how I
approach it.”
Modesty aside, there’s no questioning the importance of Kowalski’s role. Sir
Adam Beck made his name by sharing the hydropower of the great falls with the
public. Kowalski’s job is to ensure enough of that water is shared fairly for all
interests, including OPG’s Adam Beck generating stations, the New York Power
Authority’s Robert Moses Niagara station, and the tourists who flock to see the
natural wonder.
It can be a tough balancing act, but Kowalski has been at it for 28 years, eight of
those in the manager’s chair, keeping a watchful eye on the Niagara River and
operating the wall of 18 gates at the International Control Dam downstream.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
PETER KOWALSKI
Position: Operating Manager
Work location: Niagara River Control Centre
In a career that’s spanned a total of 38 years with Ontario Hydro and OPG,
Kowalski has faced his fair share of challenges. Each winter, ice can form on the
Niagara River, even covering the entire river in some years. When it gets really
bad, the control centre dispatches ice breakers to break up the floes before they
become a problem.
On several occasions, he has also had to deal with matters of life and death.
Years of service: 38
Favourite spot to visit in Ontario: "My wife and I like
Haliburton. We rent a cottage up there."
Favourite hobby: "I spend a lot of time playing guitar."
Favourite weekend activity: Spending time with
family, including his children and granddaughters.
Playing golf in the summer months and basketball in
the winter.
@opg
“There are not many places where you see two competing companies sharing an
international waterway and getting along as well as these two do,” Kowalski said.
“There's been a great deal of work put into building relationships, and I've
enjoyed being a part of that.”
@opgpics
“We do get involved with emergency services on a pretty regular basis,” he said.
At least half a dozen times a year, vessels or even people become trapped at the
brink of the falls. In such cases, Kowalski and his team can reduce the river’s flow
to 30 per cent of the normal rate to make it safer for emergency personnel to
respond.
“When you can contribute to the safe rescue of a person and you help somebody
out, that’s a good feeling,” Kowalski acknowledges.
With retirement fast approaching, Kowalski says he’s looking forward to finishing
strong. He started his career with Ontario Hydro at just 19 when he was offered
an apprenticeship job while studying electronic technology at Niagara College in
Welland. He jumped at the opportunity and didn’t look back. But that could soon
change.
“I got off to a quick start, and it’s allowed me to finish well,” said Kowalski. “I never
went back to finish that degree. Maybe that’s something I’ll pursue later in life.”