The Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the
Capilano River in
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back
Capilano Lake, also known as Capilano reservoir. Part of the
Capilano River Regional Park
Capilano River Regional Park is located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of twenty-one regional parks operated by the Metro Vancouver. The park encompasses most of the upstream areas of the Capilano Riv ...
, it stores a portion of the
Lower Mainland's drinking water. It captures water from one of the three
Metro Vancouver watersheds
The Metro Vancouver watersheds, also known as the Greater Vancouver watersheds, supply potable water to approximately 2.7 million residents in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. They provide tap water to a land area covering more than 2,600&n ...
. Construction was started in 1951 and completed in 1954.
The dam is named after engineer
Ernest Albert Cleveland
Ernest Albert Cleveland (May 12, 1874 – January 8, 1952) was a Canadian engineer and first commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District from 1926 to 1952.
The Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver is dedicated in his honour.
Life
Ernes ...
who envisioned the need for the proper maintenance of a pristine and efficient water supply as well as sustainable use of water resources. He served as the first chief commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District from 1926 until his death in 1952.
Accidents
The Cleveland Dam had several failures of the drum gate, causing water to be uncontrollably released to Capilano River running through Capilano River Regional Park. Unlike the
BC Hydro dams in British Columbia, Cleveland Dam operated by Greater Vancouver Regional District (current Metro Vancouver) does not have a warning alarm system, although the dam is inside a popular park close to a built-up area.
In 1975, a nine-year-old girl was killed by a surge of water released from the dam.
The area had no warning signs or alarm at the time. Signs were later added to warn visitors of the potential hazards of the dam.
In 2001, four fishermen were trapped in the river when the water level surged without a warning after the spillway's drum gate inadvertently dropped open.
issued several orders to reduce the risk to workers and the public, including but not limited to: "spillway gate lockout, access to the riverway by workers where lockout is not required, mancheck systems, emergency rescue and evacuation, public warning signage, and warning alarms".
However, some of the orders were ignored and public-facing warning alarms were never installed.
On October 1, 2020, the dam's drum gate opened unexpectedly during maintenance, causing water to gush out onto Capilano River. The torrent of water killed one person with another person missing and presumed dead.
Several park goers were trapped within Capilano River Regional Park.
While many managed to escape by themselves, four people had to be rescued.
The Capilano River's water level rapidly increased by , pushing of water per second at its recorded peak.
These flow rates normally only occur in the rainy season.
The anglers at the river edge had no warning except the sound of rushing water as the dam has no public alarm system to warn of a water surge. The popular recreation site had many people scrambling to get out of the way while others in safe areas witnessed their rush to escape.
In popular culture
The dam is prominently featured in the ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'' episode "
Leech
Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented bodie ...
," where
Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...
loses his powers via a lightning strike while attempting to save a classmate from jumping from the dam, as well as in the episode "
Dichotic" in the second season. The dam is portrayed in two episodes of the 1996 TV series
The Sentinel. It is also featured in the second-season episode of the series ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'', titled "Simon Said". A
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
goes over the dam into the Capilano River in the film ''
The 6th Day''. The dam is also a central location in the film ''
Bad Girls from Valley High''. The dam and reservoir were also used in ''
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes''. The
Amazon TV series ''
The Man in the High Castle'' features the dam in several scenes during the first season of the show as a meeting location near Canon City, within the neutral zone.
Gallery
Image:Cleveland_Dam_Plaque.JPG, Commemorative plaque affixed to the Cleveland Dam along the walkway.
Image:Cleveland_Dam_Spillway.JPG, View of the spillway area from the Cleveland Dam walkway on a low water day.
Image:ClevelandDam-lookdown.jpg, The spillway area from the Cleveland Dam on a high water day (resulting from snowmelt in the mountains).
External links
References
{{Reflist
Dams in British Columbia
North Vancouver (district municipality)
Dams completed in 1954
Publicly owned dams in Canada