Reservoir filling begins on BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Project – Renew Canada

August 28, 2024

BC Hydro announced it has begun safely filling the Site C reservoir following the completion of all necessary construction areas of the project. Filling the reservoir is one of the last steps in building the Site C project and allows the generating station, spillways, turbines and generators to come into operation.

It will take about two to four months to fill the Site C reservoir, with water levels rising between 30 centimetres and three metres a day. The Site C reservoir will be 83-kilometres long, cover about 5,550 hectares of land, and will have a total surface area of approximately 9,330 hectares. In comparison, the reservoir will be about five per cent the size of the Williston Reservoir.

Members of the public are being strongly urged to stay out of the reservoir area during filling and for at least one year after. This is due to potential hazards on the reservoir, such as the surrounding land continuing to stabilize and floating vegetation debris. BC Hydro has installed comprehensive warning and danger signs throughout the reservoir area to support public safety. A notification will be issued when the public can access the reservoir again.