John Hart Dam
Dam in British Columbia, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The John Hart Dam is one of three hydroelectric dams on the Campbell River, located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The dam is located at the outflow of John Hart Lake. The John Hart Generating Station is located nearby.
| John Hart Dam | |
|---|---|
  John Hart Dam Location on Vancouver Island  John Hart Dam Location within British Columbia | |
| Official name | John Hart Dam |
| Location | Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 50°02′23″N 125°20′03″W |
| Opening date | 1947 |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | John Hart Lake |
| Power Station | |
| Operator | BC Hydro |
| Turbines | 3 |
| Installed capacity | 132 MW (max.) |
Original Generating Station
Earthquake Concerns and Upgrades
By 1979 BC Hydro was concerned about the safety of dams built before 1961. A series of earthquakes since then had shown the susceptibility of some dams to liquefaction.[3] A review begun in 1984 discovered the dam was built on loose, saturate sands and silts. The dam was reinforced using injected grout while under full pool.[4]
Powerhouse Replacement
Due to seismic risks, a 68-year-old facility and lower than optimal power generation, in 2014 contracts were awarded to SNC-Lavalin to design and build a generating station and two new 2 km long, six meter penstocks.[5][6][7][8][9][10] The new penstocks and powerhouse are located underground. The project included the decommissioning of the old facility in conjunction with the construction and commissioning of the new facility. The 1.1 billion dollar project was completed in 2018.[11][12][13] The new powerhouse as a slightly larger capacity at 132.2 megawatts.[14]
