Island Falls Hydroelectric Station has been releasing more water due to the wet conditions in the area. (SaskPower)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Wet conditions

Steps being taken to protect northern hydro stations

Jul 20, 2020 | 12:29 PM

SaskPower is working to deal with high water levels at its hydroelectric facilities.

The Island Falls Hydro Electric Station, which is on the Churchill River near Sandy Bay has been forced to take steps to protect against the extra water. This has included releasing more water from its spillway.

The E.B. Campbell Hydro Electric Station near Nipawin has also had to release more water due to excess amounts.

Whitesand Dam, which is upstream from Island Falls, and is also owned by SaskPower, on the Reindeer River is also releasing more water.

Scott McGregor, media consultant with SaskPower explained the Crown-owned power utility is doing all it can to make sure electricity remains flowing.

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“Right now, our focus though is making sure that those stations remain operational, that water doesn’t invest too much into those facilities,” he said.

McGregor said they have also been working to alert people in the local area about the safety precautions they should take, which includes warnings to stay away from the high water. He added pumps are also running in both facilities to protect equipment and access roads have been built up around the hydro station.

“Those pumps are running 24/7, we’ve built up sandbag walls around the critical bits that can’t get wet,” he said.

SaskPower has set up sand bags inside Island Falls to add an extra layer of protection. (submitted photo/SaskPower)

When it comes to releasing water from both facilities, McGregor said they have been working with the Water Security Agency, which dictates how much extra water SaskPower is able to release. He added they are working to consider those downstream.

“We’ve been coordinating our release rates with the Water Security Agency to minimize the impact to both the Reindeer and Churchill waterways,” he said.

The Island Falls facility is capable of generating up to 111 megawatts of power according to SaskPower and McGregor said this has not changed due to the current situation.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn