Smallwood Reservoir

Smallwood Reservoir is a very large lake. It sits in a place called Labrador. This lake is in Canada. It is the biggest fresh water place in its land. Many small walls hold the water in. These walls are called dikes. There are 88 of them. The water helps make power for people. This was a big job to build. Many workers lived in camps to help. They finished the work early. It is a very special place.

Smallwood Reservoir is a very large body of fresh water. It sits in western Labrador, which is in Canada. This reservoir is the largest of its kind in the province. It is also the fifth largest reservoir in the whole world.

The reservoir was made for a power station. This station is called Churchill Falls. It uses water to make electricity. Before the reservoir was built, the land had many bogs and small lakes. The Churchill River used to flow through this area.

To hold the water, workers built 88 dikes. A dike is a long wall used to hold water back. The highest dike is 55 meters tall. The longest dike is 1,030 meters long. There are also three control structures. These parts help manage the flow of the water.

Building the reservoir was a huge job. It took nine years to finish. Many people worked on it. In 1970, there were 6,245 workers. They lived in one main camp and eleven smaller camps. The team finished the work five months early. The reservoir is named after Joey Smallwood. He was the first premier of Newfoundland.

The Smallwood Reservoir is a huge body of fresh water. It sits in western Labrador, which is part of Canada. This place is very important for making power. It was made for the Churchill Falls Generating Station. This station uses moving water to create electricity. The reservoir is the largest freshwater area in its province. It is also the fifth-largest reservoir in the whole world.

This reservoir works in a very special way. Most reservoirs use one single, large dam to hold water. Smallwood Reservoir does not do that. Instead, workers built 88 dikes to hold the water in. A dike is a long wall used to stop water from flowing away. The highest dike is 55 meters tall. The longest dike reaches 1,030 meters in length. Three control structures also help manage the water flow.

People first looked at this land for power in 1942. A company called H.G. Acres Company did a study then. They worked for the Aluminum Company of Canada. At that time, the area was too far away. It cost too much money to build anything there. Later, new ways to send electricity over long distances were found. This changed everything for the project.

Building the reservoir was a massive job that took nine years. Construction began in July 1967. It lasted from 1966 until 1974. In 1970, the work was at its busiest. There were 6,245 workers living at the site. They stayed in one main camp and eleven smaller camps. The team actually finished the work five months early.

Before the reservoir, the land looked very different. The area was a plateau shaped like a saucer. It was filled with many small lakes and bogs. Three big lakes were Ossokmanuan, Lobstick, and Michikamau. The Churchill River used to flow through these areas. Now, the reservoir sits where those lakes and rivers once were. The reservoir is named for Joey Smallwood. He was the first premier of Newfoundland.

The Smallwood Reservoir is a massive body of freshwater located in western Labrador, Canada. It was created specifically to support the Churchill Falls Generating Station. This facility uses moving water to produce hydroelectric power for the region. The reservoir holds a significant place in geography. It is the largest freshwater body in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. On a global scale, it ranks as the fifth-largest reservoir in the world by surface area.

Most large reservoirs rely on a single, massive dam to contain water. The Smallwood Reservoir uses a different mechanism to hold its water. Instead of one dam, engineers built a series of 88 dikes. A dike is a barrier used to prevent water from flowing out of a specific area. These dikes are spread across the drainage area of the Churchill River. The highest dike reaches 55 meters in height. The longest dike measures 1,030 meters in length. This network of barriers ensures the water stays within the intended boundaries.

Managing such a vast amount of water requires precise control structures. There are three main structures used to regulate the flow of water. The Gabbro Control Structure manages the Ossokmanuan reservoir. The Lobstick Control Structure regulates the Smallwood Reservoir itself. Finally, the Whitefish Control Structure manages the forebay reservoirs. These forebay reservoirs are also protected by spillways. These spillways act as safety valves to prevent flooding.

The geography of the area changed significantly due to this project. The reservoir sits on the Labrador Plateau. This is a landform shaped like a saucer that rises above sea level. Before the reservoir was built, the plateau was covered in bogs and small, connected lakes. Three of the largest original lakes were Ossokmanuan, Lobstick, and Michikamau. The Churchill River once drained much of this area. The river dropped at the edge of the plateau before reaching the falls. It also passed through the Bowdoin Canyon.

Human interest in the area's power potential began many decades ago. In 1942, the H.G. Acres Company conducted a study for the Aluminum Company of Canada. They wanted to see if the water could be used for power. At that time, the site was too remote to be useful. It was deemed too expensive to build anything there. However, technology eventually improved. New methods allowed for the transmission of electricity over very long distances. This advancement made the project possible.

Construction was a massive undertaking that required many years of labor. The project began in July 1967. It was managed by Acres Canadian Bechtel, which was a joint venture. This venture included Canadian Bechtel and Acres Engineering. The work lasted from 1966 until 1974. The peak of construction occurred in 1970. During that year, a total of 6,245 workers lived at the site. They stayed in one main camp and eleven satellite camps. Despite the scale, the project was completed five months ahead of its schedule.

The reservoir is named in honor of Joey Smallwood. He served as the first premier of Newfoundland. The site also has connections to historical exploration. In 1891, Bowdoin College in Maine sponsored an expedition to visit the falls. This expedition is why the nearby canyon bears that name. Today, the reservoir remains a vital part of the Churchill Falls Generating Station system. It demonstrates how engineering can transform a natural landscape to provide energy.