Waterton Reservoir Dam - Pincher Creek, AB
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 49° 19.645 W 113° 40.142
12U E 306073 N 5467281
This is one of several irrigation reservoirs along the rivers of southern Alberta. The nearest town of any size is Pincher Creek, while the nearest small town is Glenwood, about 15 km. east on 505.
Waymark Code: WMM2AR
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 07/07/2014
Views: 2
The reservoir and dam are on Highway 505, 34 km. south on Highway 6 and east on Highway 505 from Pincher Creek. According to
Alberta Environment, the reservoir holds 141,342.5 acre feet of water when full. The dam itself, about 1 km. in length, is mostly earth fill with a concrete section about 200 feet wide with control gates and a spillway.
The reservoir was constructed by the Alberta government in the early 1960s as an irrigation source and a hydro facility was added in 1992, with a capacity of 3 MW, using horizontal Francis turbines and Kato generators. It's 70% owned by Transalta Utilities and operated by Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. Though a reservoir exists, the facility is operated strictly as run-of-the-river with flow control by Alberta Environment. This is a stealth hydro facility, with all equipment, even the power lines, underground. The water used is the outflow to the irrigation channel.
Also a recreational facility, there is a campground on the west side of the reservoir with 25 unserviced sites and a boat ramp.