After more than a year under water, one of the most popular attractions at Buntzen Lake has returned: the beach.
Since last May, the beach, the boat launch and many of the walking trails around the busy Anmore summer spot had been under water as BC Hydro's $18-million turbine replacement project at its Buntzen Lake powerhouse was plagued by delays.
With the project stalled past its original November 2010 deadline, the powerhouse remained down and, instead of pumping water from Hydro's Buntzen Lake reservoir into Indian Arm, was letting it out through the Buntzen spillway channel at the north end of the lake, which sits at a higher elevation, thereby causing higher water levels on the lake.
But last Thursday, those 13 months of floodwaters were reversed as BC Hydro switched on the new turbine, returning the lake to normal water levels by Friday.
Hydro spokesperson Steve Higginbottom told The Tri-City News last Friday that water levels should remain steady while sections of Buntzen's previously submerged reservoir trail and floating bridge will be assessed for repairs and re-opened in the coming weeks.
"They'll want to get on that fairly quickly," Higginbottom said, adding that until then, the reservoir trail remains open but the hike takes about two to three hours longer than the usual three-to four-hour loop around the lake because of closures.
The boat launch is also slated to re-open for the summer.
Despite the seven-month delay, Higginbottom said the project remained within its $18-million budget and the new turbine is intended to last as long as its predecessor, which was installed in 1951 but had since become "no longer reliable or cost-effective to operate."
Buntzen Lake reservoir was Metro Vancouver's first hydro-electric power source when it opened in 1903.
