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51-697: Blocked since the 1920s by two dams built by the BC Electric Railway at Stave Falls and one at Ruskin , the only free-flowing parts of the Stave today are the 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) between Ruskin Dam and the Fraser and the 45 kilometres (28 mi) from its source in Garibaldi Provincial Park to the head of Stave Lake . Prior to power development the total length of the river

102-484: A BCER Streetcar train collided with a flatbed truck carrying lumber at Lakeview Train Station, 14 people were killed and 9 people were injured. Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity Run-of-river hydroelectricity ( ROR ) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or

153-433: A global testing ground for 10–50 MW run-of-river technology . As of March 2010, there were 628 applications pending for new water licences solely for power generation, representing more than 750 potential points of river diversion. In undeveloped areas, new access roads and transmission lines can cause habitat fragmentation , allowing the introduction of invasive species. Run-of-the-river projects strongly depend on

204-623: A lake between the Fraser and Ruskin Dam. North of Stave Lake the Stave's valley is intensely mountainous, containing some of the most rugged terrain in the province and also some of its highest rainfalls; access is extremely difficult. Overlooking Stave Lake at its north end are Mount Judge Howay, elevation 2,262 metres (7,421 ft), and Mount Robie Reid, elevation 2,095 metres (6,873 ft), and nearby are Robertson Peak at 2,252 metres (7,388 ft) and many other summits. The upper Stave basin forms

255-427: A limited amount of storage, in which case the storage reservoir is referred to as pondage . A plant without pondage is subject to seasonal river flows, so the plant will operate as an intermittent energy source . Conventional hydro uses reservoirs , which regulate water for flood control , dispatchable electrical power , and the provision of fresh water for agriculture . Run-of-the-river, or ROR, hydroelectricity

306-502: A private company based around the BC government's Independent Power Projects (IPP's) legislation, which guarantees such producers sales to BC Hydro. 49°10′00″N 122°25′00″W  /  49.16667°N 122.41667°W  / 49.16667; -122.41667 British Columbia Electric Railway The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was a historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia , Canada. Originally

357-471: A river's flow (up to 95% of mean annual discharge) through a pipe and/or tunnel leading to electricity-generating turbines, then return the water back to the river downstream. Run-of-the-river projects are dramatically different in design and appearance from conventional hydroelectric projects. Traditional hydroelectric dams store enormous quantities of water in reservoirs , sometimes flooding large tracts of land. In contrast, run-of-river projects do not have

408-490: A small bush strip. There are Stave Falls Dam (1912), Ruskin Dam (1930) and the Alouette Dam (1928) on the shore of Stave Lake where a diversion from Alouette Lake comes through a low mountainside. On the upper Stave River, beyond the north end of Stave Lake there are two run-of-the-river hydroelectricity projects, Lamont Creek (28 MW) and Upper Stave River (33.5 MW) both built in 2010 by Cloudworks Energy Inc.

459-633: A statutory right-of-way to use this section of the corridor in perpetuity, but put agreements in place to retain partial running rights for passenger service, which were renewed in 2009. While there has been a number proposals regarding the restart of a commuter passenger rail service along the line, a review was conducted by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2010. The review noted issues around high cost per ride and low projected ridership relative to bus alternatives. Subsequently, TransLink conducted

510-664: A study as part of the 2010–2012 Surrey Rapid Transit Study to explore merits of utilizing the Interurban corridor for fast, frequent, and reliable rapid transit service. The interurban corridor was not selected, nor recommended for further consideration because the corridor does not directly connect relevant regional destinations of Surrey Central and Langley City, resulted in less attractive travel times between key destinations, and would require significant capital investments to meet safety requirements and reliability objectives compared to alternatives. In particular, TransLink noted that

561-417: Is considered an "unfirm" source of power: a run-of-the-river project has little or no capacity for energy storage and so cannot co-ordinate the output of electricity generation to match consumer demand. It thus generates much more power when seasonal river flows are high (spring freshet ), and depending on location, much less during drier summer months or frozen winter months. Depending on location and type,

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612-452: Is considered ideal for streams or rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by a lake or reservoir upstream. A small dam is usually built to create a headpond ensuring that there is enough water entering the penstock pipes that lead to the turbines , which are at a lower elevation. Projects with pondage, as opposed to those without pondage, can store water for daily load demands. In general, projects divert some or most of

663-686: Is double that of a possible bus rapid transit line or a Skytrain route along the Fraser Highway. Finally, TransLink has indicated that freight traffic along the line is expected to increase along the corridor, due to increased traffic at the Port of Metro Vancouver , in particular the Roberts Bank Superport . After the decommission of the BCER streetcar and interurban system, most of the cars were either scrapped or burned underneath

714-501: Is generally used to cover exclusively short-term peak times electricity demand. Diversion Weir is also heavily dependent on the natural river flow. Similar to a regular dam, water is stored from lull periods to be used during peak-times. This allows for the pondage dams to provide for the regulation of daily and/or weekly flows depending on location. When developed with care to footprint size and location, run-of-the-river hydro projects can create sustainable energy minimizing impacts to

765-441: Is rated at 1,853 MW. Some run-of-the-river projects are downstream of other dams and reservoirs. The reservoir was not built by the project but takes advantage of the water supplied by it. An example would be the 1995 1,436 MW La Grande-1 generating station . Previous upstream dams and reservoirs were part of the 1980s James Bay Project . There are also small and somewhat-mobile forms of a run-of-the-river power plants. One example

816-673: Is the so-called electricity buoy , a small floating hydroelectric power plant . Like most buoys, it is anchored to the ground, in this case in a river. The energy within the moving water propels a power generator and thereby creates electricity. Prototypes by commercial producers are generating power on the Middle Rhine river in Germany and on the Danube river in Austria. The advantages and disadvantages of run-of-river dams depends on

867-507: The Burrard Bridge , but some cars were sold for various other uses such as becoming bunkhouses, storage sheds and in some cases decor. A handful of cars were also donated to various museums mostly in the U.S. Since then however, many preservation societies have bought back the cars and begun restoring them. The following is a list of the known BCER cars in existence and their current locations (as of January 2016). On November 10, 1909,

918-682: The Canadian Pacific Railway station at Ruskin . The route of the Stave Falls Branch along Hayward Lake is also now a walking trail managed by BC Hydro and the District of Mission, with sections of it south of Ruskin Dam used as local powerline and neighbourhood walking trails. Port Moody–Coquitlam The Port Moody-Coquitlam Railway connected the Port Moody – Ioco spur of the Canadian Pacific Railway to

969-814: The Coquitlam Dam in order to haul supplies and materials to the dam. Alouette Lake Similar to the Stave Lake and Port Moody-Coquitlam lines, the Alouette Lake dam tracks connected power facilities to the CPR that ran on the north side of the Fraser River at Kanaka Creek in Haney . Jordan River This 5.3-mile railway connected the powerhouse and harbour at the mouth of the Jordan River to

1020-485: The Fraser at Ruskin but there are a few ruins of mills lining its western shore, including the remains of a very large cedar shake mill adjacent to the Stave Falls dam. Almost all of the mills on the Stave were focused on the production of shakes and some of its mills were among the highest-producing in the world. The north end of the lake can not be reached by road so the only option is by boat or air charter to

1071-611: The Jordan River Dam . BCER ended streetcar service in New Westminster on December 5, 1938. The company then announced its "Rails-to-Rubber" conversion programme on September 30, 1944, with North Vancouver's last streetcar service and two of Vancouver's streetcar lines ending in April 1947, and Victoria's streetcar service ending on July 4, 1948. In Vancouver, many streetcar lines were converted to trolley buses , with

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1122-694: The Southern Railway of British Columbia . This line made use of the New Westminster Bridge , opened in 1904. Burnaby Lake Line The Burnaby Lake line's right-of-way is largely taken up by the Trans-Canada Highway , but sections of it survive as walking and biking trails. Central Park Line Following the cessation of interurban services on the Central Park Line, the right-of-way remained under

1173-915: The disadvantages associated with reservoirs and so cause fewer environmental impacts. The use of the term "run-of-the-river" for power projects varies around the world. Some may consider a project run-of-the-river if power is produced with no water storage, but limited storage is considered run-of-the-river by others. Developers may mislabel a project run-of-the-river to soothe public perception about its environmental or social effects. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity distinguishes run-of-the-river and pondage hydropower plants, which can hold enough water to allow generation for up to 24 hours (reservoir capacity / generating capacity ≤ 24 hours), from reservoir hydropower plants, which hold far more than 24 hours of generation without pumps. The Bureau of Indian Standards describes run-of-the-river hydroelectricity as: A power station utilizing

1224-506: The interurbans and street railway . Vancouver–Marpole BCER began the Vancouver- Steveston interurban and freight service in 1905 after leasing the line from Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and electrifying it. The Vancouver-Marpole line's right-of-way (whose northern section runs beside Arbutus Street) remained under the ownership of the CPR, which continued running freight trains on the corridor until June 2001. With

1275-587: The 'Railway Bridge' across the north arm of the Fraser River are still in operation today, as part of the Southern Railway of British Columbia . New Westminster – Fraser Mills Opened in 1912, construction of ramps leading to and from the new Pattullo Bridge resulted in the closure of the Queensborough and Fraser Mills lines in 1937, as well as the truncation of the Burnaby Lake line to Sapperton . Victoria – Deep Bay Now called Deep Cove,

1326-525: The 14 Hastings East , ran on April 22, 1955. The Marpole-New Westminster interurban line was closed in 1956, followed by the Marpole-Steveston line on February 28, 1958, marking the complete closure of the interurban system. In 1961, the provincial government took over BC Electric, with the railway becoming a division of Crown corporation BC Hydro . In August 1988, BC Hydro sold their freight division which included rolling stock and rails and

1377-854: The Consolidated Railway and Light Company. The newly founded company was forced into receivership again after a streetcar accident in Victoria (the Point Ellice Bridge Disaster ) resulted in 55 deaths, and was reorganized as the British Columbia Electric Railway Company Limited in April 1897. Power was supplied by then-innovative diversion projects at Buntzen Lake and on the Stave River system farther east, all of which were built primarily to supply power for

1428-589: The Victoria to Deep Cove line (1913), was one of three passenger railways to serve the Saanich Peninsula , and was closed on November 1, 1924, due to low ridership. The Victoria-Deep Cove interurban's alignment can be traced by Burnside Road, Interurban Road and the Interurban Rail Trail, West Saanich Road, Wallace Drive, Aldous Terrace, Mainwaring Road, one of Victoria International Airport 's runways, and Tatlow Road to Deep Cove. Besides

1479-428: The ability to grant operating rights to others, including to providers of passenger rail service, that do not materially interfere with Southern Railway of British Columbia's operations. In addition, BC Hydro in 1988 also sold the track assets of a section between Cloverdale from Pratt Junction through Langley City and beyond to CP Rail , but retained ownership of the right-of-way. At the time, BC Hydro also granted CPR

1530-520: The consistent flow of water, as they lack reservoirs and depend on the natural flow of rivers. Consequently, these projects are more vulnerable to climate change compared to storage-based projects. Short-term climate anomalies such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) [1] can significantly disrupt the flow and can have a profound impact on the operation of these projects. Thus, incorporating climate change considerations into

1581-612: The control of BC Hydro . By 1975, the Greater Vancouver Regional District proposed incorporating the right-of-way into a light rail line linking Vancouver and New Westminster, thereby reinstating passenger rail service on the corridor. The provincial government eventually took over the project, which evolved into the Vancouver SkyTrain 's Expo Line . New Westminster–Queensborough The tracks from New Westminster to Queensborough and

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1632-412: The electricity needed by consumers and industry. Moreover, run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants do not have reservoirs, thus eliminating the methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the decomposition of organic matter in the reservoir of a conventional hydroelectric dam. That is a particular advantage in tropical countries, where methane generation can be a problem. Without a reservoir, flooding of

1683-589: The end of freight operations on the line in sight, Vancouver City Council adopted the Arbutus Corridor Official Development Plan in 2000, designating the corridor as a transportation/greenway public thoroughfare to prevent other types of development from taking place along the right-of-way. Marpole–Steveston (Lulu Island Branch) The Steveston line's alignment on Lulu Island can be traced by Railway Avenue, Granville Avenue, Garden City Road, and Great Canadian Way. After

1734-710: The end of passenger service in 1958 the Granville and Garden City section of the line was relocated largely parallel to River Road north of Westminster Highway. Marpole–New Westminster Interurban service between Marpole and New Westminster along the North Arm of the Fraser River was started in 1909. Still in operation today, as part of the Southern Railway of British Columbia . New Westminster–Chilliwack (Fraser Valley Branch) Opened October 4, 1910 (also used by freight) and still in operation today, as part of

1785-418: The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to rework the gravel bars and channels below Ruskin Dam , but this has had only marginal effect relative to the former size of the salmon runs. Stave and Hayward Lakes have a kokanee population as well as other fish such as trout, and are sometimes stocked. The Stave River's valley has been extensively logged. The only operating mills on its length are now near

1836-664: The first route of BCER's Vancouver trolley bus system opening on 16 August 1948. The Chilliwack line ceased service in 1950, followed by the Vancouver-Marpole line in 1952 and the Burnaby Lake line in 1953. The stretch of the Central Park line in Burnaby and New Westminster was closed on October 23, 1953, followed by the rest of the line through Vancouver on July 16, 1954. The last streetcar line in Vancouver,

1887-476: The lower valley is gentle though hilly, with dense oldgrowth and dense deciduous second growth in some areas. Marginal farms, mostly pastures carved out of the forests, can be found in the Silverhill, Silverdale and Stave Gardens areas. The Stave delta, formerly an oxbow lake , has been partly drained and dyked to form Silvermere Lake, part of a 1950s vintage real estate development; the oxbow's central island

1938-660: The parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company (now BC Hydro ), the BCER assumed control of existing streetcar and interurban lines in southwestern British Columbia in 1897, and operated the electric railway systems in the region until the last interurban service was discontinued in 1958. During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria ; these systems subsequently became part of BC Transit , and

1989-433: The plant will most likely have a lower head of water than from a dam, and will thus generate less power. The potential power at a site is a result of the head and flow of water. By damming a river, the head is available to generate power at the face of the dam. A dam may create a reservoir hundreds of kilometres long, but in run-of-the-river the head is usually delivered by a canal, pipe or tunnel constructed upstream of

2040-442: The power house. The cost of upstream construction makes a steep drop desirable, such as falls or rapids. Small, well-sited run-of-the-river projects can be developed with minimal environmental impacts. Larger projects have more environmental concerns. For fish-bearing rivers, a ladder may be required, and dissolved gases downstream may affect fish. In British Columbia , the mountainous terrain and wealth of big rivers have made it

2091-446: The rights to run freight trains through Fraser Valley Subdivision, not the corridor, to a company known as Itel of Chicago who resold it to a new shortline operator and the railway is now known as the Southern Railway of British Columbia and is exclusively a freight railway. At the time, BC Hydro did not specifically reserve rights to operate passenger rail service using Southern Railway of British Columbia's facilities, but did retain

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2142-557: The routes in Greater Vancouver eventually came under the control of TransLink . Trolley buses still run in the City of Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby. Streetcar and interurban services were inaugurated in southwestern British Columbia between 1890 and 1891, operated by the following companies: With the global depression in the 1890s, all three companies went into receivership, and were amalgamated in 1895 into

2193-671: The routing of the interurban line does not directly connect to the largest regional centre in the South of Fraser – Surrey Metro Centre – which is expected to be the focus of future population and employment growth, and the current alignment is indirect and through lower density and diverse areas, with a low ridership catchment near potential stations. Also, TransLink estimated that the interurban estimated travel times are not competitive with rapid transit along Fraser Highway or King George Boulevard , with transit times estimated to be around 63 minutes to travel between Langley and Surrey Central, which

2244-602: The run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient pondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand. In such stations, the normal course of the river is not materially altered. Many of the larger run-of-the-river projects have been designed to a scale and generating capacity rivaling some traditional hydroelectric dams. For example, the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Generating Station in Quebec

2295-549: The southeastern part of Garibaldi Provincial Park , and adjoining it on its southeast is the Judge Howay Provincial Recreation Area - designated for recreation but highly inaccessible other than to seasoned mountaineers. The original salmon fishery was severely affected by the damming of the river but its lower stretches remain popular with sport fishermen, especially in search of steelhead. The hydro corporation has worked in cooperation with

2346-621: The stretch through the airport, the stretch at the Experimental Farm (now called the Sidney/Centre for Plant Health) has also been blocked. Stave Lake A 6-mile (9.7 km) steam train branch line, the Stave Falls Branch , (constructed during the building of the original Stave Falls hydroelectric plant) was isolated from the main interurban network, and linked the power plant and community at Stave Falls to

2397-417: The surrounding environment and nearby communities. Run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate the electricity needed by consumers and industry. Advantages include: Like all hydro-electric power, run-of-the-river harnesses the natural potential energy of water by eliminating the need to burn coal or natural gas to generate

2448-406: The type, the following sections generally refer to Dam-Toe unless otherwise stated. These are listed in order of least impact to most impact, as well as (on average) requisite project size. Dam-toe has no flow regulation and utilizes the natural flow of the river to turn the turbines. Electricity generation is heavily dependent on river flow. Diversion Weir has very little flow regulation, which

2499-450: The upper part of the river does not take place. As a result, people remain living at or near the river and existing habitats are not flooded. Any pre-existing pattern of flooding will continue unaltered, which presents a flood risk to the facility and downstream areas. Due to their low impact, run-of-the-river dams can be implemented in existing irrigation dams with little to no change in the local fluvial ecosystem. Run-of-the-river power

2550-432: Was c. 85 kilometres (53 mi). The name Stave River was conferred in about 1828 by Hudson's Bay Company employees at Fort Langley , as the forests lining its banks were preferred for the production of staves used in the making of barrels for the export of fish. The lower Stave valley comprises over half the surface territory of the District of Mission although it remains mostly forested mountainside. The terrain of

2601-427: Was transformed by the dredgings into a hill upon which the developer's private estate was built. It is now a Royal Canadian Mounted Police training facility. The waters of the lower Stave are semi-tidal, as the tidal bore on the Fraser River ends farther upstream at Mission City . During the spring freshet of the Fraser the volume and force of that river's flow blocks the Stave, causing it to back up and forming

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