Skookum Creek Hydroelectric Project

The Skookum Creek Hydroelectric project, located east of Squamish BC, is a run-of-river project that develops 25 MW of power from a head drop of 345 m. The project consists of a concrete intake, sluice and overflow weir, a 6.4 km long buried penstock and a twin Pelton turbine powerhouse.

Three geotechnical aspects of the project were particularly challenging. Firstly, the penstock alignment traverses steep natural side slopes with high cuts and two creek crossings with potential for debris flows. In addition, the powerhouse is founded on an alluvial fan, and the intake design for the right abutment is in a volcanic flow.

BGC Engineering provided design and construction services for the project from the preliminary stages to the detailed design, including geohazard risk assessment and mitigation design, site investigations and geotechnical design for the intake, penstock, and powerhouse structures.  BGC work also included an assessment for potentially acid generating (PAG) rock, and design of the penstock corridor and powerhouse excavation drawings using AutoCAD Civil 3D software.  BGC prepared geotechnical/civil construction drawings and specifications for the project, and provided quality assurance review and technical support for construction, including record drawings.