The Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the Capilano River in Upper Capilano, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back Capilano Lake, also known as Capilano reservoir. Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it stores a portion of the Lower Mainland's drinking water. It captures water from one of the three Metro Vancouver watersheds. Construction was started in 1951 and completed in 1954.
The dam is named after engineer Ernest Albert Cleveland who envisioned the need for the proper maintenance of a pristine and efficient water supply as well as sustainable use of water resources. He served as the first chief commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District from 1926 until his death in 1952.
Accidents
The Cleveland Dam had several failures of the drum gate, causing water to be uncontrollably released into the Capilano River running through Capilano River Regional Park. Warning sirens were not installed until after the death of two men in 2020.
In 1975, a nine-year-old girl was killed by a surge of water released from the dam. The area had no warning signs or alarm at the time. Signs were later added to warn visitors of the potential hazards of the dam. Several park goers were trapped within Capilano River Regional Park. While many managed to escape by themselves, four people had to be rescued. The Capilano River's water level rapidly increased by , pushing of water per second at its recorded peak. After this accident, warning sirens were installed at three locations along the river.
Gallery
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Image:Cleveland_Dam_Plaque.JPG|Commemorative plaque affixed to the Cleveland Dam along the walkway.
Image:Cleveland_Dam_Spillway.JPG|View of the spillway area from the Cleveland Dam walkway on a low water day.
Image:ClevelandDam-lookdown.jpg|The spillway area from the Cleveland Dam on a high water day (resulting from snowmelt in the mountains).
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