The Williston Lake reservoir is having a banner year for water, meaning it is a bright year for BC Hydro's northern dams.
The turbines at the WAC Bennett Dam and the Peace Canyon Dam have been treated to rare volumes and pressure rates, as they ignite the electricity grid of the province. However, the year started off with concerns.
"It was the lowest we had seen it in 10 years," said BC Hydro spokesman Bob Gammer describing the water levels in the lake when the annual winter-spring minimums occurred. "But because of all the snow that slowly melted off, and all the rain that came down over summer, it kept filling and bounced back up. From that low-point to now there was a 50-foot difference."
That 50-foot rise was spread over a 1,700 square kilometre lake area, giving a stark example of the volumes involved in this year's water table compared to previous years.
Only two feet of clearance remains at the lake, which, said Gammer, is about normal. After a few years of drought or lesser precipitation, it is a welcome amount to have behind the hydroelectric wall.
Had the rain continued much more, or if we are destined for another year of heavy snows and spring rains, the levels will exceed the reservoir and that is a sad sight, Gammer said.
"We would have to spill off, which means the loss of all that potential power generation. We haven't had to do that on the Williston since 2002, and I believe it has only been done eight times in the lake's history."
It is rare for all of the province's regions to simultaneously experience the same general weather conditions, as has happened this year in B.C. Usually one set of dams has higher water levels and can work a little harder while the thirstier ones collect water for later, said Gammer.
Williston Lake, about 200 kilometres north of Prince George, is the largest hydroelectric reservoir in the province.
