| Owner | BluEarth Renewables, a Limited Partnership of Culliton Creek Power |
| Project | New Hydro Energy Project in BC |
| Location | 20 km North of Squamish, BC |
| Size | 15 MW |
| Head and Flow | 293 m & 6.3 m3/s |
| Role | Project Management, Construction and Engineering |
The 15 MW Culliton Hydro Project, located on Culliton Creek, roughly 5 km upstream of its confluence with the Cheakamus River, and just over 3 km upstream of the “Big Orange Bridge” (BOB) on Highway 99 north of Squamish, BC is a run-of-river type development. A headworks structure diverts a portion of flow from Culliton Creek through a penstock to a powerhouse. All water diverted is returned to Culliton Creek at the powerhouse immediately upstream of BOB.
The headworks consist of a concrete intake structure, a concrete sluiceway, a gated concrete overflow weir structure and a sheet-pile core embankment weir across Culliton Creek that creates a small headpond for the intake. The intake structure includes a sheet-pile sedimentation basin upstream of the structure that allows sediment to settle out prior to being withdrawn through the penstock to the powerhouse. The sluiceway adjacent to the intake is also located downstream of the sediment basin and is used to flush sediment at high flow periods such that the sediment is dispersed effectively during naturally high sediment flow periods. The gated overflow was used for river diversion during construction and final closure of the headworks structure.
A 3200 m long buried penstock conveys the flow to the powerhouse which contains two 7.5 MW Pelton turbines.
Key features include:
- Innovative concrete headworks structure
- Sheet-pile core overflow embankment dam
- Sheet-pile sedimentation basin