The Effects of Hydro Development on Native Communities

The Tsay Keh Dene Native community of Northern BC. A video by Garret Seymour from Fort Ware about the effects on his people of the 1960s Hydro development of the WAC Bennett Dam and Williston Reservoir.

Williston Lake is the Largest Lake in British Columbia

The Williston Reservoir is located in north central British Columbia. The reservoir extends 200km north from Mackenzie along the Parsnip and Finlay Reaches of Williston Reservoir. These join to meet the Peace Reach which extends 100km east to WAC Bennett Dam near Hudson’s Hope.

Williston Lake is the largest reservoir in BC. It has a surface area of 1,773 square kilometers. The WAC Bennett Dam is the controlling structure for the Reservoir. The dam is 186 metres high and 2,068 metres long along its crest. The W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Generating Facilities (G.M. Shrum) were constructed between 1961 and 1968.

As the Peace River plunges from the Rocky Mountain Trench to the Mackenzie River system and the Arctic Ocean, it develops enormous energy. Together, the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and the G.M. Shrum Generating Station harness much of that energy. The dam and generating station form the largest hydroelectric facility in BC Hydro's system with the capacity to generate 2,730,000 kilowatts.