Metro Vancouver is repairing the Cleveland Dam spillway and training walls as part of an ongoing maintenance program to ensure the reliable delivery of clean, safe drinking water to the region’s residents.
The Cleveland Dam, constructed between 1952 and 1954, is a concrete gravity structure at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver that impounds water from the Capilano Reservoir, one of three major sources of drinking water for Metro Vancouver.
The spillway carries surplus water flowing from the dam and the training walls on both sides of the spillway direct the flow of water. The maintenance work, expected to be completed this fall, includes instrumentation upgrades, pressure washing the walls, adding a protective coating to the walls and applying grout to the spillway.
The work is the latest in a series of upgrades Metro Vancouver has undertaken on the dam, including seismic upgrades to the spillway in 1992 and an upgrade to the East Abutment – a seepage control barrier to the water reservoir – in 2001-2002. Work methods and materials have been selected to minimize environmental impacts on the Capilano River and Capilano River Regional Park.
The B.C. Dam Safety Regulation requires owners of major dams to ensure their dams will withstand an extreme earthquake or flood, and Metro Vancouver meets or exceeds these safety standards. Metro Vancouver also carries out regular dam safety surveillance, testing, and reviews.