Wac bennett dam construction

Conception

During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, the potential of the area along the Peace River came to prominence when the explorers and fur traders arrived. Hudson’s Hope was an integral part of that industry. As the fur trade dwindled in the mid 1900’s the town settled down to ranching and logging. However, it wasn’t long before increased economic development in the populated areas further south raised the demand for electricity and the idea to use the natural water resource of British Columbia’s rivers was considered. The amalgamation of BC Electric and the BC Power Commission, overseen by Gordon M. Shrum, culminated in the creation of the Crown Corporation BC Hydro.

The Peace Canyon was the only un-navigable part of the Peace River system, requiring portage around its turbulent waters that dropped 215 feet in 20 miles. The mountain of sand, silt and gravel that comprised a glacial moraine, left behind 15,000 years before, blocked the original path of the river. Consequently, the river carved a new route around Portage Mountain through the rock formation of the Peace Canyon.

W.A.C. Bennett, (B.C. Premier 1952 – 1972) was not going to let this natural resource go untapped. Before the decision was made to build the dam at the head of the canyon, hundreds of soil and geological tests were undertaken. These masses of figures and drawings made up one of the largest feasibility studies in the world.

Originally named the Portage Mountain Dam, the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and the G. M. Shrum Generating Station were among the first and most ambitious of the hydroelectric projects built during the 1960`s and 1970`s.

Construction

The moraine provided the answer to constructing one of the largest earth filled dams of its kind. Three years of survey and study of data climaxed in plans to build a dam near the head of the canyon and to use the materials of the moraine to build it.

Construction of the dam took appro

In 1968 the province of British Columbia completed the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and created the Williston Lake reservoir. Far from being an empty wilderness eagerly waiting for development, the site of this new body of water was the centre of the Tsek’ehne homeland. Unsurprisingly, the W.A.C. Bennett Dam negatively affected them. Much of their traditional territory was flooded, and because of poor planning, the three Tsek’ehne communities in the Rocky Mountain Trench were increasingly isolated from one another. BC’s Aboriginal policy, with its denial of Aboriginal title, small reserves and perception of Indigenous people as lazy and in the way of progress, only made matters worse as certain pre-existing aspects suddenly became relevant and the officially recognized bands often had to deal with it on their own. Because of the impacts of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, the connections between the three bands were weakened. Previous academics have missed this point because of their over reliance on outsider perspectives of the Tsek’ehne.

Dam in Hudson's Hope, British Columbia, Canada

Dam in British Columbia, Canada

The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectricdam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada. At 186 metres (610 ft) high, it is one of the world's highest earth fill dams. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and culminated in 1968. At the dam, the Finlay, the Parsnip and the Peace rivers feed into Williston Lake, also referred to as Williston Reservoir. It is the third largest artificial lake in North America (after Smallwood Reservoir and Manicouagan Reservoir) as well as the largest body of fresh water in British Columbia. Williston Lake runs 250 kilometres north–south and 150 kilometres east–west.

The construction of the dam cost $750 million, making it the largest project of its kind in the province of BC. The dam was named after Premier W. A. C. Bennett because his vision played a major role in the project initiation, development, and realization; the reservoir was named after the premier's trusted cabinet colleague: Ray Williston. The Gordo