Whatshan Dam

Dam

49°54′59″N 118°07′03″W / 49.9164°N 118.1175°W / 49.9164; -118.1175Opening date1951^[1]Operator(s)BC Hydro (Operator)^[1]Dam and spillwaysImpoundsWhatshan RiverHeight12 metres (39 ft)^[1]ReservoirCreatesWhatshan Lake

Whatshan Dam was built by the B.C. Power Commission and completed in 1952.^[2] It is a concrete hydroelectric dam on the Whatshan River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Whatshan powerhouse has undergone three major transformations since 1951 when it was first built by the British Columbia Power Commission to provide electricity to the Okanagan and the Upper Arrow Lakes in 1951. In 1953 the powerhouse was destroyed after a rock and mud slide roared down the mountainside. The powerhouse was rebuilt soon after only to have to be rebuilt again a few metres higher to avoid being flooded after the completion of the Hugh Keenleyside Dam in 1968.^[3] The replacement 54MW powerhouse completed in 1972 is at the end of a 3.4 kilometre long tunnel and is located on the western side of Upper Arrow Lake in the Monashee Mountains.^[1] It is owned and operated by BC Hydro.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Whatshan Dam". Balance of Power. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
^ "IMPACTS OF THE OPERATION OF EXISTING HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENTS ON FISHERY RESOURCES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
^ "Whatshan Dam - the Dams | Balance of Power".
^ BC Hydro (June 2010), Quick Facts for the Year Ended March 31, 2010 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-05, retrieved 2011-12-09