W. A. C. Bennett Dam

W. A. C. Bennett Dam
The WAC Bennett Dam, taken from the viewpoint
Location	Hudson's Hope, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	56°01′00″N 122°12′02″W / 56.01667°N 122.20056°W / 56.01667; -122.20056Coordinates: 56°01′00″N 122°12′02″W / 56.01667°N 122.20056°W / 56.01667; -122.20056
Construction began	1963
Opening date	1968
Owner(s)	BC Hydro
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment dam
Impounds	Peace River
Height	186 m (610 ft)
Length	2,068 m (6,785 ft)
Spillway capacity	9,205 m3/s (325,100 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Williston Lake
Total capacity	74 km3 (60,000,000 acre·ft)
Surface area	1,761 km2 (680 sq mi)
Power station
Turbines	5 × 275 MW,3 × 310 MW, 2 × 306 MW
Installed capacity	2,916.4 MW
Annual generation	13,100 GWh

The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada. At 183 m (660 ft) 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, the Finlay, the Parsnip and the Peace Rivers feed into Williston Lake, also referred to as Williston Reservoir. It is the third largest artificial lake in North America (after the Smallwood Reservoir and Manicouagan) 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 the premier 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 Generation Station at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam has the capacity to generate more than 13 billion kWh annually. At the time of its construction the powerhouse was the largest of its kind worldwide. In addition to the benefits related to the energy generated, the construction of the dam and the reservoir also provided economic opportunities for the province of British Columbia, for the newly founded provincially owned electric utility BC Hydro, and for the large number of workers. These workers were involved in the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project. Considerable costs were involved in the government funded project, the clearing of the area for the reservoir, called the Trench, alone cost $5 million.

The building of the dam and the reservoir were not without controversy. One controversy was caused by the significant negative environmental effects the project had on the immediate environment. In the process of creating Williston Lake, 350,000 acres of forested land was flooded. This caused the loss of plant and wildlife biodiversity as well as the loss of minerals and timber rights.