Hugh Keenleyside Dam (formerly known as the High Arrow Dam) is a

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

spanning the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

, 12 km (6.5 miles) upstream of the city of Castlegar,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada.

Dam

The dam is at the outflow of what was the upper and lower

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Bea ...

; today the two lakes are joined forming one long

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

extending north to

Revelstoke Dam The Revelstoke Dam, also known as Revelstoke Canyon Dam, is a hydroelectric dam (combined earthfill dam and gravity dam) spanning the Columbia River, north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The powerhouse was completed in 1984 and has ...

, and contains 8.76 km³ (7.1 MAF) of reservoir volume. The dam is operated by

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the exce ...

. The long earth fill and concrete dam was built as part of fulfilling Canada's obligations under the

Columbia River Treaty The Columbia River Treaty is a 1961 agreement between Canada and the United States on the development and operation of dams in the upper Columbia River basin for power and flood control benefits in both countries. Four dams were constructed under ...

, along with the

Duncan Dam Duncan Dam is a dam spanning the Duncan River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Duncan Dam was the first dam built to satisfy the Columbia River Treaty, initiated after the 1948 flood along the lower Columbia, which proved fatal a ...

, both were built to prevent flooding and control the flow of water in the Columbia River for downstream hydroelectric dams. It was commissioned on October 10, 1968, six months ahead of schedule. Immediately downstream of the dam a 185

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...

(MW)

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

powerhouse, the Arrow Lakes Generating Station, began construction in 1999 and was completed in 2002. The station is owned by the

Columbia Power Corporation Columbia Power Corporation is a Crown Corporation, owned by the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its mandate is to undertake hydro-electricity projects in the Columbia River region of British Columbia. In so doing, it is required to work w ...

. Lower Arrow Lake was raised 12 metres (40 feet) above the natural levels, resulting in several towns being dismantled and relocated before their sites were flooded, including Burton. The dam was named after

Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside, CC (7 July 1898 – September 27, 1992) was a Canadian university professor, diplomat, and civil servant. He was the Canadian ambassador to Mexico from 1944 to 1947, and the commissioner of the Northwest Territorie ...

, the Canadian ambassador to Mexico, 1944–1947. Hugh Keenleyside served as the chairman of the British Columbia Power Commission and co-chairman at the

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the excep ...

from 1962 to 1969. The Arrow Lakes reservoir is described by BC Hydro as a "great waterway for boating", despite the effect that the difference between high and low water has on docks and ramps. The dam is equipped with a

navigation lock A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

, which is available at no charge to boaters. However, commercial traffic and floating logs have priority over leisure craft.

References

{{Arrow_Lakes_Steamboats Dams in British Columbia West Kootenay Castlegar, British Columbia Dams on the Columbia River Dams completed in 1968 Embankment dams BC Hydro 1968 establishments in British Columbia Publicly owned dams in Canada

Dam

See also

References