Restoration of a historic mill pond in central P.E.I. will be complete on Friday.

The dam at Scales Pond near Kinkora washed away in a spring flood in 2009.

Construction equipment was hauling away earth Thursday, as crews get ready to release water from the Dunk River over the new Scales Pond dam Friday morning.

Work on the $1 million project began earlier this summer, with most of the money raised through the fundraising efforts by local volunteers. Provincial and federal governments put in $200,000 each. The group is currently just $40,000 short of the money it needs.

Scales Pond is one of a handful of historic mill ponds on P.E.I.

Construction crews say the new concrete structure they’ve built where the old dam once stood will do a better job of preventing ice damage. A fish ladder will allow trout and other fish to swim upstream. The site is also home to the International Memorial Park for Children.

Credit: CBC