The navigational lock at the Hugh L. Keenleyside Dam is closed to the public once again and is not expected to reopen until spring.
The lock near Castlegar is the only navigational lock in Western Canada. It opens up to allow boat traffic, lumber and other supplies through the dam. It is primarily used for the forestry industry, with three to ten uses per day on average. It is also used by recreational users, primarily in the summer, about five to ten times a month.
According to BC Hydro, the lock has been closed four times in the last nine months, once for scheduled maintenance and three times for unplanned closures to address damage to the downstream gate and floating guide wall. The closures add up to more than 165 days so far.
The first closure was planned and took place from May 23 to June 13. BC Hydro generally has two planned outages for the lock every year – one in the spring, and one in the fall.
The lock was closed again about a month later on July 20. This time, it was because employees identified damage to the downstream gate.
This gate is normally equipped with four supporting pedestals at the bottom of the floating bumper, and one of the supporting pedestals had dislodged and sunk to the bottom of the lock.
“Continuing to operate the gate without this component would have resulted in significant damage to the gate, so the lock had to be closed until it could be replaced,” explained BC Hydro spokesperson Mary Anne Coules.
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The lock reopened Sept. 2 once repairs were completed and the gate was tested to ensure safe operations.
During this unplanned outage, BC Hydro took the opportunity to complete additional maintenance work that had originally been scheduled for a fall outage, allowing for the cancellation of that 30-day closure.
On Oct. 26, the navigational lock was closed again for emergency repairs due to a potential hazard to the fourth pontoon on the floating guide wall.
The floating guide wall allows marine traffic to safely approach the navigational lock from the reservoir side of the facility.
Once the hazard was addressed and further mitigation work was completed, the lock reopened on Nov. 10.
Less than a month later, on Dec. 1, the lock was closed again due to further concerns with the floating guide wall. It is still closed to the public, but BC Hydro says the lock has remained open to the forestry industry.
BC Hydro says it anticipates that the lock will reopen to the public this spring prior to the peak recreation season.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we want to ensure we are providing safe access for recreational boaters and commercial users,” says Coules. “We appreciate that these closures are an inconvenience to users and thank them for their patience and support while repairs are underway.”
BC Hydro emphasized that the issues with the navigational lock are in no way related to their ability to safely manage water levels in the reservoir as well as downstream flows.
“Our operations continue to comply with our water licence and legal obligations under the Columbia River Treaty,” says Coules.
