Lubbe powerhouse

The Lubbe Powerhouse (also known as the Goldstream Plant) is a decommissioned hydroelectric plant located near Goldstream Provincial Park in Langford, near Victoria, British Columbia. This plant provided electricity to Victoria for 60 years and is one of the little-known and ingenious chapters in the history of Victoria. This plant was one of the first hydro plants of this type on the west coast of North America. The structure is over a century old and is unsafe to inhabit. It is within the boundaries of the watershed lands owned by the CRD and is inaccessible to the public due to its proximity to a drinking water reservoir.

In 1897, Esquimalt Waterworks Company (EWWC) and British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) came to an agreement to generate power by using the water from the high elevation reservoirs to generate electricity. The water would be run through Pelton waterwheels, where the water would then flow into the Japan Gulch Reservoir and subsequently be used for domestic purposes. The plant was expanded in 1898 and again in 1905, each time adding another turbine.

The Goldstream Plant was staffed by full time operators, who recorded in their journals the daily activities, comings and goings, and events. A day excursion on the E & N Railway to the Powerhouse was a popular event in the early years of operation. Other entries tell of hobos riding the rails and spending the night at Goldstream. Located along the Cowichan Waggon (sic) Road, the powerhouse meant a long walk for the residents of the Lubbe House, (located only a short distance from the powerhouse, and associated with its early history), whose children reportedly used to walk to town and back.

The Jordan River Hydroelectric Dam came online in 1912 and dwarfed the Lubbe plant. Turbines one and two were taken offline and the plant continued to operate until 1957 as a 1500 KW facility. Rumours tell that the plant was torn down but the building in fact still exists to this day.

The heavy equipment and supplies for the powerhouse were shipped in on the E&N Railway, not far from the construction site. Following the offloading of equipment, the components were hauled up the road with manual labour using horses and block and tackle.

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