The Ruskin Dam generation station has supplied power to the BC Hydro grid for almost 80 years and requires upgrades to ensure operational reliability and improve safety in the event of an earthquake. There are four major components to this project:
• The right bank of the dam is being reinforced with a specially designed cutoff wall, which will control and manage water seepage.
• Seven concrete piers and spillway gates will be removed and replaced with five new ones, and the one-lane road on top of the dam will be replaced with a twolane road.
• The powerhouse facility will be seismically upgraded and the powerhouse turbines, generators, and ancillary equipment will be upgraded or replaced (including upgrades to penstocks and intake tunnels that move water from the reservoir to the powerhouse).
• The switchyard, currently located on the roof of the powerhouse, will be rebuilt and relocated to the left bank behind the road.
The upgrades to the right bank are complete, and the replacement of the piers and spillway gates is underway. Approved by the British Columbia Utilities Commission in April 2012, construction began that year and the facility is expected to be in service in early 2018.
