Dams

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Saddle Lake Dam

[Area D]

Overview

Saddle Lake Dam is a concrete faced earth-fill dam and impounds a small reservoir with an unknown water source, which is likely groundwater with some overland flow from the small catchment area. The earth portion of the dam serves as the weighted mass to counteract the upstream pressure from the water, while the concrete serves as the impervious barrier to prevent water from seeping through the dam.

The dam structure is six (6) meters tall and approximately 44 meters wide and impounds the area of water known as Saddle Lake. Saddle Lake is a man-made lake located in the saddle-like depression between Eagle Mountain and a smaller unnamed mountain 6 km west of Grand Forks. It was built by Doukhobors in 1912 as a reservoir dam to meet irrigation needs for the extensive communal orchards and grain fields below.

Dam Safety Review document
The RDKB performs bi-weekly and monthly inspections of Saddle Lake Dam. The RDKB also performs a more thorough annual inspection of the dam.

2018 Annual Inspection

Kelly Creek Dam

[Area A]
The Kelly Creek Dam was originally built in the late 1940s (exact date unknown) to provide water service to the Village of Fruitvale. Upgrades to the dam were undertaken in 1982 to remediate degradation that had previously occurred to the concrete from freeze/thaw action and to increase the reservoir storage capacity.

The Kelly Creek Dam has an intake structure which allows operators to control water supply from Kelly Creek, which flows from the upland slopes of Mount Kelly, Stott Peak and several un-named ridges. The watershed is primarily private managed forestland that is subject to the Private Managed Forest Land Act.

The Kelly Creek intake discharges into the reservoir which feeds the water treatment plant (WTP) intake structure. The intake structure, reservoir, WTP intake, dam and WTP are located within the same secured (fenced) facility.

Kelly Creek Dam is a concrete gravity dam and has a “Significant” Consequence Classification rating under the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Water Management Branch File No. D350120-00 dam failure consequences classification criteria.

Dam Safety Review document
2018 Annual Inspection Report