The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada. At high, it is one of the world's highest earth fill dams. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and culminated in 1968. At the dam, Williston Lake, also referred to as Williston Reservoir, drains into the Peace River. It is the third largest artificial lake in North America (after Smallwood Reservoir and Manicouagan Reservoir) as well as the largest body of fresh water in British Columbia. Williston Lake runs 250 kilometres north–south and 150 kilometres east–west.
The construction of the dam cost $750 million, making it the largest project of its kind in the province of BC. The dam was named after Premier W. A. C. Bennett because his vision played a major role in the project initiation, development, and realization; the reservoir was named after the premier's trusted cabinet colleague: Ray Williston. The Gordon M. Shrum Generating Station at the W. A. C. Bennett Dam has the capacity to generate more than 13,000 GWh annually, at times supplying over a third of B.C's power demand. At the time of its construction the powerhouse was the largest of its kind worldwide; it continues to be the largest power station in B.C and it is the third largest hydroelectric development in Canada after Robert-Bourassa and Churchill Falls. The initial stages of construction required building a coffer dam, preparing the foundations and injecting grout into the ground to create a watertight seal, building a drainage system, and excavating to create a solid base for building. Over the course of construction, of rock and dirt were taken from the nearby glacial moraine by conveyor belt to create the dam relying primarily on gravity to hold it together. Upon completion, the W. A. C. Bennett Dam became one of the biggest earth-filled dams in the world stretching 183 metres tall, 800 metres wide, by two kilometres long (). When finished, the dam incorporated one of the largest hydroelectric generating stations. Components are located as far as below ground and includes 10 generating units located deep underground in the powerhouse. The Main powerhouse structure is named the G.M. Shrum generating station. It was designed to resemble a giant transformer to reflect its function and modern design of the 1960s.
The project was widely seen as a success, especially considering its remote location far from civilization. The construction project was managed by Gordon Shrum, the appointed head of the newly created BC Hydro crown corporation. The provincial government had specifically created BC Hydro as a way of financing the project through lower interest rates available to crown corporations and to control the development of provincial energy resources. When Shrum took over the project in 1961 it was already a year behind schedule meeting the 1968 deadline to generate power. Through a 'hands on', 'cost conscious' and a 'design as you go' strategy, the project was officially completed in the fall of 1967 with the first generators going online in 1968. The project was completed on time and on budget; however, additional construction would continue through the 1970s with final completion in 1980 when the last generator was installed.
The construction of the W. A. C. Bennett Dam involved over twenty unions that were bound by ten-year contracts guaranteeing BC Hydro no lockouts or strike action. This contract allowed the project to be built without labour delays. The men involved on the project were international, coming from around North America, Europe, and as far as Japan. The workers onsite lived in temporary camps built around the Portage Mountain site with more workers in the summer and fewer in the winter. Much of the construction occurred inside the dam which was claustrophobic, full of exhaust fumes, and occasionally subject to cave-ins. In total, 16 men have lost their lives working on the dam.
During the construction process, the Portage Mountain lookout was one of the first buildings built so that tourists could view the progress on the dam.
Upgrading and refurbishment
From 2009 to 2012, units 6 to 8 were refurbished to increase the plant capacity by 90 megawatts. The last unit of them, unit 7, was put into service on November 29, 2012.
Units 1 to 5 have undergone complete refurbishment and upgrades, increasing the reliability and capacity of the first units installed at G.M. Shrum. The upgrades increase the generating capacity of each unit by as much as 17%.
Economic investment and opportunity
Province of British Columbia
In the 1950s, as well as the decades before and after, the economy of British Columbia had largely been based on the extraction of natural resources and had therefore been susceptible to fluctuations in the world's demand for the respective resources. Despite the potentially unreliable economy resulting from this susceptibility, British Columbia was considered to be one of the most sought-out Canadian provinces to live in. This was due to the fact that British Columbia had the country's highest real per capita income which resulted in high standards of living for its residents. It was not until W. A. C. Bennett's premiership and vision for his province though that British Columbia saw the realization of its hydroelectric energy potential. Bennett believed that any natural resource that was not used was wasted and pushed for the development of ways to harness the enormous unrealized hydroelectric energy power potential of the Peace River. Today, the W. A. C. Bennett and Peace Canyon facilities produce about 35% of British Columbia's total electricity.
BC Hydro
The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority Act, introduced by Premier W. A. C. Bennett in March 1962, laid out the plan in which he would pursue his Two Rivers Policy. BC Electric had refused to commit to buying the power that would be harnessed from the Peace River development as cheaper power was available elsewhere. Hence, the BC Hydro and Power Authority Act merged BC Electric with another crown corporation, the BC Power Commission, into a newly formed BC Hydro which was co-chaired by Gordon Shrum of BC Electric and Hugh Keenleyside of BC Power Commission. BC Hydro became responsible for the building of the dam, powerhouse and associated infrastructure.
Local community and workers
The building of the dam and the powerhouse and the creation of Williston Lake provided economic opportunities to the high number of workers who found employment with BC Hydro or one of the subcontractors; these workers included members of the local First Nations, non-native residents, non-residents, and immigrants. One of the subcontractors was the Forest Service Branch of the Department of Lands and Forests to whom BC Hydro paid $5 million to clear the area that would become Williston Lake—an area that was covered in timber to 80%. At the peak of project, 3,500 workers were employed. Many of them had moved to the area for the job and settled down, at least temporarily, in close proximity to the dam project. Hudson's Hope, a frontier town, was one of the communities in which many of the non-resident workers found a home; during the project, the population of Hudson's Hope rose from 800 to over 5,000 in 1968 and dropped to less than 1,500 by the early 1980s. In addition, about 2,000 workers lived at a camp in close proximity to the dam.
Social impacts
First Nations communities
When it became clear that the environmental impacts of the dam would render land unlivable to First Nations groups who were dependent on the hereditary sites, the British Columbia government offered a settlement of $1.7 million. The settlement resulted in the government's purchase of fourteen thousand acres of land, including timber and mineral rights, buying out approximately one hundred and fifty individuals. Of those one hundred and fifty, roughly one third were members of the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation. Outside of relocation, traditional hunting and fishing grounds around the Fort Grahame and Finlay Forks areas were severely impacted by ecological change. Many species of fish as well as mountain caribou and muskrats were no longer available for consumption or traditional use. These changes to First Nations independence through fur trade and the relocation of many people to new reserves caused an influx in demand for government assistance through welfare. Between 1965 and 1970, social assistance provided by the Provincial government to Indigenous groups in the areas surrounding the Bennett Dam increased by 300 percent. The devastating impact of the dam on traditional ways of life is documented in detail in a doctoral dissertation by Daniel Sims, a Tsay Keh Dene First Nation member.
As recently as October 2008, the Kwadacha First Nation, another First Nations group residing in the Fort Ware area located at the north end of the Finlay Reach of Lake Williston, reached a settlement with the British Columbia government and BC Hydro over damages suffered during construction and operation of the dam and Williston Lake. The settlement included a $15 million lump-sum payment and annual payments of $1.6 million adjusted for inflation.
The effects of the project on the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation were profiled in The Scattering of Man (DƏNE YI’INJETL), a 2021 documentary film by Luke Gleeson.
Local residents
When the government, controlled by the Social Credit Party of British Columbia, dammed the Peace River to generate hydroelectricity it had already set into motion a series of social changes in the surrounding communities. These social changes had positive effects for workers who flocked to the area to secure jobs and economic opportunities unavailable elsewhere. It also had negative effects for residents who lived in the surrounding areas prior to the dam's construction. British Columbia Premier W. A. C. Bennett saw growing communities when he envisioned the damming of the Peace River in 1952. In 1964, his vision would be validated as a result of the "instant town" of Mackenzie, where thousands of individuals would find employment with BC Forest Products. The company spent $60 million on a "forestry complex" to process timber resulting from clearing land for the construction of the dam. For residents who had lived in the surrounding areas prior to the dam's planned construction, development caused many to be pushed off homesteads for small monetary settlements. One resident who owned a thousand acres of land, much of which was used for farming, was offered only twenty-eight thousand dollars by BC Hydro to secure the property. However, for local residents of Anglo ethnicity, full-time waged work was more easily accessible due to the employment opportunities produced directly and indirectly by the damming project.
Environmental and ecological impacts
Downstream
Since the construction of the W. A. C. Bennett Dam, a number of environmental changes have taken place. The dam is responsible for less drastic fluctuations in the water levels of the downstream portions of the Peace River, creating modifications to both plant and animal life in the region. In addition, it has also been blamed for creating changes in the landscapes of the Athabasca Lake and Peace River, known as the Athabasca Delta. This part of the river faced significant water loss.
Downstream of the dam, the flood plains of Peace-Athabasca delta were drying up after typical bi-annual floods came to a halt, affecting the wetland biodiversity alongside the delta. For this reason, the delta experienced lower water levels, affecting both the landscape of the delta and its aquatic life. Following the completion of the Williston Lake reservoir in 1971, water coverage in the delta was reduced by 38 percent. Twenty years later, the amount of wetlands had declined by 47 percent. A reduction in the amount of discharge resulted in the accumulation of toxins and sediments downstream, decreasing the quality of the water. Fish also experienced changes as a result of the low water levels: fewer channels were accessible for walleye to reach spawning grounds and for juvenile fish to reach nursery areas, therefore jeopardizing their ability to reproduce. Dinosaur Lake was created directly downstream of the W. A. C. Bennett Dam when the Peace Canyon Dam was completed. The Peace Canyon Dam was built to produce hydro-electricity for a second time with the water coming from W. A. C. Bennett Dam and its huge reservoir.
Visitor centre
The W. A. C. Bennett Dam Visitor Centre is located near the dam, overlooking Williston Lake Reservoir. The centre features exhibits on the dam, hydroelectricity, and the area's natural and cultural history.