Spray Lakes Reservoir is a reservoir in Alberta , Canada. The Spray Lakes were a string of lakes formed along the Spray River , a tributary of the Bow River . With the damming of the river, the lakes were united in the Spray Lakes Reservoir.
12-518: It lies between the Goat Range and the Three Sisters ridge, at an elevation of 1,720 metres (5,640 ft). The lake is followed by Highway 742 (Smith-Dorrien Trail) in the northern part. The Lake is impounded by two embankment dams ; the 28-metre-high Canyon Dam is near the southern end of the reservoir and blocks the main outlet of the river in a north-northwestern direction, while
24-569: A total of five dams and three powerhouses with a total generating capacity of 165 MW, the Spray River diversion making it the highest-yielding conventional (non- pumped-storage ) hydroelectric facility in the province. As a result of the diversion the river's original water course downstream of the Canyon Dam is nothing more than trickle for most of the year. The lake is fed by the following waterways, in anticlockwise order starting at
36-600: Is situated at the south end of the Goat Range along the west shore of Spray Lakes Reservoir . Nestor's east flank is within Spray Valley Provincial Park , while the west aspect is within Banff National Park , with the boundary line between the two parks running roughly north-to-south over its summit. The nearest higher peak is Old Goat Mountain , 2.0 km (1.2 mi) to the north. Mount Nestor can be seen from Alberta Highway 742,
48-713: The Canyon Dam: The lake lies completely inside the north-western corner of the Spray Valley Provincial Park in the recreational area of Kananaskis Country . For more than half of the lake, from the Three Sisters Dam in the north to Mount Buller in the south, the western border of the Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park runs along the Smith-Dorrien Trail, close to the eastern shore. For the whole length of
60-583: The Goat Range from the Kananaskis Range , to the north-east, Goat Creek separates it from Mount Rundle , and to the south-west, the Spray River separates it from Sundance Range . It covers an area of about 115 km², extending about 25 km in a NNW-SSE direction with a width ranging between 4 and 6 km. The highest peak is Old Goat Mountain (3109 m), located near the southern end of
72-709: The Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail. The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1913 by the Interprovincial Boundary Commission. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1922 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada . Mount Nestor is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over
84-445: The lake, the eastern border of Banff National Park lies within five kilometers of the western shore. In the north, the border of the national park runs along the crest of the Goat Range . Near the southern end of the lake, the border is close to the shore. An assortment of recreational areas are established on both shores. The western shore is paralleled by hiking trails, and picnic sites and campgrounds are set up on both sides of
96-685: The lake. Goat Range (Alberta) The Goat Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies in southwestern Alberta , Canada . It is a part of the Front Ranges of the Southern Continental Ranges and lies on the western edge of Kananaskis Country , on the boundary between Spray Valley Provincial Park and Banff National Park . To the east, the Spray Lakes Reservoir separates
108-519: The range. The only other named peak, Mount Nestor (2975m), forms the southern end of the range. Mount Nestor (Alberta) Mount Nestor is a 2,970-metre (9,740 ft) mountain summit located in Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta , Canada . It is named after HMS Nestor , a destroyer sunk in the Battle of Jutland during World War I. Mount Nestor
120-554: The range. A small glacier, the Old Goat Glacier, lies in a narrow cirque below the steep north-east face of the summit at an altitude of only 2300-2500 m. From the Spray Lakes West Campground, an unmaintained trail leads up for 4 km, ascending 200 m towards the glacier. The Gem Trek map suggests that from the end of the trail, the cirque can be reached without a path. No other hiking trails exist in
132-602: The secondary 13-metre-high Three Sisters Dam at the northern end of the reservoir provides the outlet for the diverted water way and contains a small 3 MW powerhouse. The two dams and the lake were created in 1951 as part of the Spray Hydro Electric Project. From the Three Sisters Dam the water is diverted into a secondary reservoir known as the Goat Pond which directs the water into a 6-kilometre-long canal which includes an 800-metre tunnel though
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#1732793998547144-688: The shoulder of Ha Ling Peak . From there it enters White Man Pond before being funnelled into a penstock to the main Spray Powerhouse at Grassi Lakes with a generating capacity of 112 MW. The water continues to another shorter penstock leading to the Rundle Powerhouse where an additional 50 MW of generation is available. From there water is released into the Bow River. The four dams and three power stations are owned and operated by TransAlta . The Spray River Project contains
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