BC Hydro finishes Coquitlam dam seismic upgrade

15 October 2008


The 30m high, 300m long earth and rockfill embankment dam required 300,000m3 of glacial till, sand, gravel and rock as well as more than 4,000m3 of concrete and 65,000kg of steel.

The original, 30m high dam was completed in 1913, which replaced an earlier 4.5m high structure on Coquitlam Lake. Water from the lake is conveyed by a 3.9km long tunnel to Buntzen Lake, from where it is pssed to a power plant.

Work on the structure, in Metro Vancouver's watershed, was undertaken by JJM Construction. Fish-friendly features include a salmon spawning channel and expanding the rearing pond.The 30m high, 300m long earth and rockfill embankment dam required 300,000m3 of glacial till, sand, gravel and rock as well as more than 4,000m3 of concrete and 65,000kg of steel.

The original, 30m high dam was completed in 1913, which replaced an earlier 4.5m high structure on Coquitlam Lake. Water from the lake is conveyed by a 3.9km long tunnel to Buntzen Lake, from where it is pssed to a power plant.

Work on the structure, in Metro Vancouver's watershed, was undertaken by JJM Construction. Fish-friendly features include a salmon spawning channel and expanding the rearing pond.




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