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Buntzen Lake Powerhouse No 1:

Seen from the Penstock pipe on the steep incline at the edge of Buntzen Lake Park. Originally built in 1903 and upgraded in 1951 - Photographed September 28, 2008.

Away from the trails of Buntzen Lake near the north western edge of Buntzen Lake but built at the eastern shore of Indian Arm. The Buntzen Lake Powerhouse is difficult to get to for photographing, but is extremely photogenic with it's cement walls and turn-of-the-century building style. In order to get this shot, I had to follow the steep incline beside the powerhouse penstock pipe from the dam area, climbing through brambles, slippery rocks and muddy seepage areas.

Buntzen Lake, located just north of Ioco approximately 30 kilometres (km) from Vancouver, is a BC Hydro reservoir. It is 4.8 km long and covers an area of 182 hectares. Formerly known as Lake Beautiful, the lake is named after the first general manager of B.C. Electric Co., Johannes Buntzen. In 1903 the Buntzen hydroelectric project was put in service by the Vancouver Power Company to provide the first hydroelectric power to Vancouver. Previously, the city had to depend on a 1,500-kilowatt (kW) steam plant for its power supply. The project involved raising the level of the dam on Coquitlam Lake and excavating a 3.6 km tunnel to carry water from Coquitlam Lake to Buntzen Lake. The tunnel runs under Eagle Mountain, reaching a maximum depth of 1.2 km below the surface, and empties into the north end of Buntzen Lake.

Water from Buntzen Lake flows through penstocks down the steep mountain slope to two power plants located on Indian Arm. Buntzen No. 1 was constructed in 1903 with an initial capacity of 1,500 kW. A second powerhouse, Buntzen No. 2, was completed in 1914 with three pelton wheels delivering a total of 26,700 kW to meet Vancouver's continually increasing demand for secure electricity. The generating equipment in Buntzen No. 1 was modernized in 1951 to produce 55,000 kW of power. In 1972 one unit at Buntzen No. 2 was shut down but the two remaining units (86 years old at the turn of the century!) can still produce 17,800 kW. Both plants are monitored and operated by a remote control facility in Burnaby.