The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam built in 1931: it was built to provide flood control and has a dyke system at the southern end: it changed the ecosystem around the lake ; By the way this is BC’s 5 th largest lake: 104 km long and between 3-4 km wide; Lakeview campground coffee with a view. They rent steel ships at Kaslo shipyard . Kootenay Lake Corra Linn Dam; Lage: British Columbia (Kanada) : Zuflüsse: Kootenay River, Duncan River: Abfluss: Kootenay River: Größere Städte am Ufer: Kootenay basin reservoirs provide nearly 7,000,000 acre feet (8.6 km3) of storage which constitutes almost half of the 15,500,000 acre feet (19.1 km3) stored in Columbia River Treaty reservoirs. In 1898, the CPR was laying track westward from Lethbridge through the Rockies in an effort to reach the area’s mines. Water levels for the Kootenay Canal are regulated by the Duncan Dam located at the north end of Kootenay Lake and the water released from the Libby Dam located in Montana. Specific Tables, under Upper Arrow Lake on page 45. Besides the gates, new monitoring equipment is being installed to identify any problems with gantries used to lift the gates. United States, International Joint Commission In 1973, Libby Dam was built in Montana. Known by the locals as “Angel Falls”, these are a short trek from the shoreline. “The US Army Corps of Engineers has a standard that a gate, well-maintained, should have a service life of around 100 years, so we’re getting close to that.”. We monitor the lake levels throughout the year, which are governed by the 1938 International Joint Commission order on Kootenay Lake. [11], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}49°28′N 117°28′W / 49.467°N 117.467°W / 49.467; -117.467, List of dams in the Columbia River watershed, List of generating stations in British Columbia, "Consolidated Mining and Smelting, Annual Report, 31 Dec 1939", http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/Kootenay_Lake/kootenay_060922b.htm, "Kootenay Lake Board of Control Responsibilities", "Treaty relating to cooperative development of the water resources of the Columbia River Basin (with Annexes)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corra_Linn_Dam&oldid=994058613, Hydroelectric power stations in British Columbia, Articles with dead external links from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 December 2020, at 22:20. – A new angler incentive program on Kootenay Lake launches June 1, 2020. For the six-year period after the 1932 opening, the dam was not permitted to raise the level of Kootenay Lake. In 1973, the Libby Dam was built, forming Lake Koocanusa and which extends back into Canada. Anglers are encouraged to harvest rainbow and bull trout in the main body of Kootenay Lake and then turn in the heads to local depots to enter a monthly draw for a prize worth $1,000.00. It is also controlled by an agreement to ensure that the Kootenay River Dams and the Nelson Powerplant have an assured amount of water at all times to continue generating power. 1 talking about this. Kevin Bunch is a writer-communications specialist at the IJC’s US Section office in Washington, D.C. Stay current on how Canada and the United States are working together to manage the health and flow of the waters shared by our two countries. Built in 1932 for power generation and water storage, the Corra Linn Dam is at the mouth of Kootenay Lake. a l 2017). This will allow the dam to continue passing through water in the event of floods in the next few years while work is underway. • River plants and Brilliant already existed on the Kootenay River • Regulation of Kootenay River flows by Duncan Dam (1967) and Libby Dam (1973) made the Kootenay Canal Plant economic • In 1972 BC Hydro, West Kootenay Power and Cominco entered into the Canal Plant Agreement “cooperate in the The diversion plan was shelved. Kootenay Canal. During the 1961 flood, the level of the lake was 3 metres (10 ft) above the maximum level of the dam, owing to water held back at the narrows. Water fluctuates up to 30 metres (98 feet) in elevation annually. Contact us. Yeppoon181780 wrote a review Jun 2011. Kootenay River Bridge is 0.8 km upstream of the powerhouse and provides access to canal, powerhouse and switchyard. A 14-foot aluminum boat powered with a 9.9hp is adequate for the section of river above the Robson boat launches. Located just north of Kootenay Lake at the confluence of the Duncan and Lardeau Rivers, Duncan Dam was designed to collect heavy spring runoff to prevent flooding downstream and to help maintain the flow of the Columbia – the Kootenay River feeds the Columbia as a tributary – for electricity production in the winter. Between 2005 and 2010 BC Hydro considered more excavation at the narrows as a potential "Resource Smart" project. Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program Fishing Fun, Healthy Harvest, Prizes, and Conservation Goals! Helpful. The dam's powerplant has a generating capacity of 49 MW. The energy company, formed in 1897, supplied power to the early Rossland Trail smelter operations from relatively small hydro-electric power plants on the Kootenay River, some 35 miles from Trail. Kootenay Lake was dammed in 1967. Below Libby Dam, the river flows for 50 miles to the Idaho border. From there it flows into northern Idaho, then back into Canada and Kootenay Lake. Canadian Section Your Guides & Safety. Even after excavation, Grohman Narrows continued to limit outflow. It is a permanent, three-span, two-lane structure of post-tensioned concrete construction, 195 m (638 feet) long and 10 m (32 feet) wide which was built for the project and later turned over to the Ministry of Highways. In 1973, Libby Dam was built in Montana. The public will be presented information on the International Joint Commission, the Kootenay Board, and the operation of Corra Linn Dam by Fortis BC under the 1938 Order on Kootenay Lake. Kootenay BizBlog; Tie Lake Dam Project largely complete; Tie Lake Dam Project largely complete The total cost for the project was $450,000. Canada, Guidance for Uses, Obstructions, or Diversions, International Kootenay Lake Board of Control. Corra Linn Dam is 30 km (16 mi) up the Kootenay River from its confluence with the Columbia River. The Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program inspires anglers to get back out on the water and enjoy the outdoors while fishing. Campgrounds and resorts, general stores, golf courses, glass houses, marinas, parks, and small communities will capture interest as you journey along the scenic highway #3A. FortisBC is funding the work, which is expected to cost CDN$66.7 million (US$51.4 million). Nelson, Canada 24 contributions 6 helpful votes. Kootenay Lake to Nelson The water conditions from Robson to the dam are more like lake conditions rather than a river. Section International Kootenay Lake Board of Control Canadian Secretary Gwyn Graham said the board has been in close contact with FortisBC and regularly reviews information about the project to ensure that it doesn’t impede the company’s ability to operate the dam in compliance with rules for maximum water levels and other conditions of the IJC Order for Kootenay Lake. No more than three gates will be replaced at a time, said Jamie King, power supply operations manager for FortisBC. I am sure others have thought about them too. 1-855-FBC-NEWS or 1-855-322-6397. Since 2007 it has been located within the city of Nelson. For our Kootenay Lake charters we use 9ft rods with shimano levelwind reels and Berkley Big Game fishing line. Turquoise Glacial Waters of the Kootenay River, North End of Kootenay Lake between the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains, BC, Canada. by Keith Powell — January 11, 2019. With It operated as a run-of-the-river hydroelectricity plant allowing the spring freshet to pass downstream. 1717 H Street NW, Suite 835 In 2004 nutrient restoration started in the South Arm of Kootenay Lake to compensate for similar impacts of the Libby Dam in the United States. Starting this summer, an extensive project will begin replacing spillway gates and improving other elements of the dam. This dam could control the water in Kootenay River and reduce the likelihood of flooding near Creston, meaning diverting water from Kootenay River into the Columbia was no longer necessary to manage flows. Anglers are encouraged to harvest rainbow and bull trout in the main body of Kootenay Lake and then turn in the heads to one of four depots to enter a monthly draw for a prize worth $1,000. Following a tour of the new dam, RDEK Electoral Area B Director Stan Doehle (right) congratulates project lead Brian De Paoli, RDEK Engineering Technician (left) on the substantial completion of the project. Available data for this site Click to hide station-specific text (About shift-adjusted ratings). During the new upgrade project, all 14 spillway gates and embedded components associated with them will be assessed and either refurbished or replaced, said Darren McElhinney, dam upgrade project manager working with operator FortisBC. While travelling on the Kootenay Bay to Balfour ferry I've often wondered about those power lines to the north that dangle just above the lake (actually they are over 35m above the lake – it just looks like they are almost touching the water). In 1938, the IJC approved the operation of Corra Linn Dam and the storage of 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) of water in Kootenay Lake. For Upper Bonnington, the first dam built on the river, the original goal was to improve navigation between Kootenay Lake and the Kootenay's mouth on the Columbia by drowning the dangerous Bonnigton Falls rapids that also blocked fish migration, and hopefully introducing fish to the upper river by constructing a fish ladder. The superstructure of the spillway will be newly reinforced and rebuilt, the gantries that open the gates will be refurbished, and multiple redundancies for the gates will be installed. Canada, International Joint Commission This program started on the North Arm of Kootenay Lake in 1992, to rebuild the food web that had been impacted by construction of BC Hydro’s Duncan Dam. A proposed new dam on the Canadian side of Lake Koocanusa could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a feasibility study that was done following concerns over water management.. Don’t have a kayak or boat, check in with Kaslo Kayaking — this is one of their popular excursions.) Of FortisBC’s four hydroelectric dams on the Kootenay River, Corra Linn is the closest to Kootenay Lake and can operate as the control point for water flows out of Kootenay Lake. International Joint Commission [5] The narrows was made deeper and wider, allowing for a greater drawdown of the lake during the winter and a greater flow during spring freshet. 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