Keenleyside Dam
Hugh Keenleyside Dam upstream of the city of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada.
The dam is at the outflow of what was the upper and lower Arrow Lakes, today the two lakes are joined forming one long reservoir extending north to Revelstoke Dam, and contains 8.76 km3 of reservoir volume. The dam is operated by BC Hydro.
The long earth fill and concrete dam was built as part of fulfilling Canada's role in the Columbia River Treaty, along with the Duncan Dam, 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 hydroelectric powerhouse, the Arrow Lakes Generating Station, was begun in 1999 and completed in 2002. The station is owned by the Columbia Power Corporation.
Lower Arrow Lake was raised 12 metres 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, 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 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, which is available at no charge to boaters. However, commercial traffic and floating logs have priority over leisure craft.
