Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | BC Hydro. 2011. Jordan Watershed: Wtershed Plan, Final Draft. BC Hydro. |
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| Organization | BC Hydro |
| URL | http://fwcp.ca/app/uploads/2015/07/jordan_watershed_plan.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The Jordan system is situated in the southern portion of Vancouver Island approximately 50km northwest of Victoria. Form its headwaters, the Jordan River flows southwest between the Sooke Hills and Seymour Mountain to the Pacific Ocean. Almost halfway along it is joined by Bear Creek and then flows into the Jordan Diversion Reservoir which discharges into the Elliott Headpond. Most flow is diverted for power; however, 0.25 m 2 /s is discharged into the natural channel of the Jordan.7 The Jordan Drainage basin above Elliott Dam is approximately 144 km2 . Elevations within the Jordan River basin range from 300 to 1000 m. Precipitation is dominated by pacific air masses meeting west-facing mountains and can lead to prolonged rain periods. Heavy precipitation occurs between October and April with an average of 500mm in November. Inflows also occur due to snowmelt from May to July. Hydro facilities were first constructed in 1917, and currently consist of a series of dams and diversion reservoirs. The most upstream of which is Bear Creek Dam, whose reservoir is not actively managed and behaves as a natural lake with water flowing over the spillway. The Jordan Diversion Dam is approximately 2.5km downstream of the Bear Creek Dam. It impounds a reservoir of 1800 ha with normal operating levels between 367 and 386 m, which correspond to approximately 3.5 days operation. Bear Creek flows into the Jordan Reservoir. 1.6 km below the Jordan Dam is the Elliott Dam and Headpond. The Elliott Headpond has a small storage capacity and diverts water to the powerhouse through a 7.2 km tunnel where there is a single 170 MW capacity turbine. The amount of inflow received in the basin limits the generating ability of the system. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island South |
| Sub-watershed if known | Jordan River |
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| Project status | complete |
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