Surveying the snow pack

EXPEDITION TIME:, in the 1940s, the surveyors had trekked 3,100 Feet up to Slide Creek. Each survey involved a journey of several days on foot.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

JOËLLE SÉVIGNY

One of the reasons the site of Powell River was chosen for the construction of a Paper Mill, was because of its close proximity to extensive drainage areas, from which a large supply of water could be developed for the operations of a mill via hydro-electric energy.

The main source of this water is Powell Lake which was first dammed in 1910 and further raised in 1924. Much of the Townsite depended on this hydro-electric energy for its activities and so measuring of the water supply and the determination of its levels in advance, became very important to the Powell River Company.

weighing snow samples at Slide Creek, end of Powell Lake, in the 1940s;

Every year between the 20th and 27th of March, the Powell River Company conducted surveys of the snow in the mountains behind Powell and Lois Lake (since Lois also became a source of water supply in the 1930s). The snow surveys were completed under the Engineering Department: surveyors measured snow, its water content and anticipated the volume of the run-off.

Testing was done by driving core tubes into the snow and samples at different

stations were taken. An estimate of numerous zones gave an average and from there a probable quantity of water to be expected to reach the lake during April to July was derived. In the end, these numbers enabled the Company to have a bearing on the amount of water available for mill operations.

an undated image of Ossie Stevenson doing a snow survey

The snow survey expeditions meant that the surveyors had to trek across the rugged backcountry for several days. It also meant that they got to witness the beauty of the mountains from high elevations – most of which they recorded. This is why we can now enjoy viewing beautiful photographs of our mountains dating back to early Townsite History.

Evolugen (formerly Brookfield Power, which owns the dam on the Powell River) still conducts the annual snow survey up in the mountains every April.

Now the surveyors helicopter in, but they still use the same methods of measurement as back in the early 20th century – by taking cores of snow using those tubes in the photograph above. Some things never change! Blast from the Past is written monthly by Powell River Historical Museum and Archives public engagement coordinator Joëlle Sévigny.

Annual snow survey data collected by the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Upper Powell River

1941 • 127cm

1951 • 348cm

1963 • 157cm

1971 • 366cm

1980 • 213cm

1991 • 240cm

2001 • 214cm

2011 • 166cm

2019 • 185cm

Lower Powell River

1942 • 170cm

1951 • 264cm

1960 • 193cm

1971 • 317cm

1980 • 134cm

1991 • 166cm

2001 • 138cm

2011 • 311cm

2019 • 106cm