- Jordan River Dam
The Jordan River Dam, officially the Jordan River Diversion Dam, and known locally simply as Diversion Dam, is a
dam located inJordan River, British Columbia ,Canada . It is part of the second hydroelectric development onVancouver Island . [cite web
url=http://www.ruralobserver.com/jordan_river_powerhouse_article.html
title=Jordan River Powerhouse
last=Peers|first=Elida|date=2007-03
publisher=Rural Observer]History
The
Vancouver Island Power Company completed construction of the River Jordan hydroelectric system in 1911.At 126 feet from top to bottom, it was upon its construction, the highest dam in Canada.From 1912 to 1930 continual improvements and additional generators pushed the capacity of the power plant to 26 megawatts. In 1971 the flume was replaced by a tunnel, connected to a penstock flowing down to a new power house, presently located across the river from the original location. A Japanese built generator replaced the old equipment, boosting power output from 26 megawatts to 175 megawatts.cite web
url=http://www.geog.uvic.ca/dept2/faculty/newcomb/JordanRiverPower.PDF
title=A source of Victoria's power
last=Newcombe|first=John|date=2001-03-18
publisher=University of Victoria]Current operation
Water collects at Diversion Dam, runs 8.8 km down a wooden sluice to an equalizing reservoir and flows through a steel penstock for the last 330 vertical meters.It currently provides 35% of
Vancouver Island 's generating capacity.In 1996, the provincial government initiated a Water Use Planning (WUP) program, demanding thatBC's water licence holders show they can manage
environmental problems of dams .The Jordan River "WUP" is now well-underway, and restoration of fish habitat has been a top issue.References
ee also
*
List of dams and reservoirs in Canada
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