Upper Bonnington Dam - Bonnington Falls, BC
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 49° 27.793 W 117° 29.524
11U E 464343 N 5479067
Upper Bonnington Dam is the second of five along a 4.5 km. stretch of the Kootenay River. It is about 16 km. downriver from the city of Nelson.
Waymark Code: WMH97Z
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 06/10/2013
Views: 3
Construction on the dam began in 1905 and the original powerhouse was completed in 1907, upgraded in 1916 and expanded in 1940 to a capacity of 66 MW (MegaWatts). This is chronologically and physically the second dam at Bonnington falls, as the Corra Linn is above it on the river and the Lower Bonnington, below it, was built previously.
There are now 6 generators in 2 adjacent powerhouses, a gated spillway and an overflow spillway. The photos were taken in late spring so the overflow spillway is what is seen - it looks much the same as did the falls before the dam was constructed. There is one photo from late summer, at low water.
Coordinates given are at the observation pullout on the highway.