Bridge River
| Bridge River | |
| River | |
 East Wall of Bridge River Canyon, near Terzaghi Dam, from Road 40
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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | British Columbia |
| Source | Coast Mountains |
| - coordinates | 50°47′N 122°13′W / 50.783°N 122.217°W |
| Mouth | Fraser River |
| - coordinates | 50°45′N 121°56′W / 50.750°N 121.933°WCoordinates: 50°45′N 121°56′W / 50.750°N 121.933°W |
| Length | 120 km (75 mi) |
The Bridge River is an approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) long river in southern British Columbia. It flows south-east from the Coast Mountains. Up until 1961, it was a major tributary of the Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet; its flow, however, was near-completely diverted into Seton Lake with the completion of the Bridge River Power Project, with the water now entering the Fraser just south of Lillooet as a result.
The Bridge River hydroelectric complex, operated by BC Hydro, consists of three successive dams, providing water for four hydro power plants with the total rated power of total 492 megawatts.
Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten (pronounced Hwist'n), sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten). Dubbed Riviere du Font by Simon Fraser's exploring party in 1808, it was for a while known by the English version of that name, Fountain River, and some old maps show it as Shaw's River, after the name of one of Fraser's men.
The Bridge River Ocean, an ancient takes its name from the Bridge River.
Upstream from Moha the now-dry riverbed runs through the immense gorge of the Bridge River Canyon, which lies immediately downstream from Terzaghi Dam, the principal dam of the Bridge River Power Project. Terzaghi Dam forms Carpenter Lake, the longest and largest of the power project's reservoirs at about 40 kilometres. Just upstream from Gold Bridge, which is at the upper end of Carpenter Lake, is Lajoie Dam, which forms Downton Lake.
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Wikipedia