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Safety around BC Hydro facilities

Revelstoke Dam from downstream wide

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See how we get electricity to you

Our facilities, which can be found across British Columbia, consist of reservoirs, dams, and generating stations. These are interesting places to visit. You can ensure that your visit is safe by respecting warning signs at the sites and by following some simple safety rules.

We generate electricity using the flow of water. That means that water levels in the rivers, lakes, and reservoirs around our dams and generators can rise and fall rapidly, and without warning, depending on the demand for electricity.

Safety around hydroelectric facilities

Ensure you stay safe when near BC Hydro generating stations by following these safety guidelines:

  • Listen and watch for sirens and strobe lights. These are warnings that water levels are changing.
  • Stay outside of public safety booms and buoys.
  • Stay clear of generating facilities including dams, powerhouses, power lines and all electrical equipment.
  • Always supervise children and help them to learn how to keep safe.
  • Obey all warning signs and keep out of fenced, gated, and restricted areas.
  • Stay on designated trails and within observation areas. They're clearly marked.
  • Stay well back from the edge of a waterway where footing may be slippery or the bank unstable.

During the winter, keep off the ice. It's not safe to ice fish, skate, ski, snowmobile, or walk on the ice. The ice around these facilities is thin because the current and water levels are always changing. Rapid temperature changes can cause ice to melt and the ice around our facilities may be weak because of changing flows and water levels. Other ice hazards can include:

  • Pressure ridges
  • Gas holes
  • Ice bridges, where large gaps between the ice and the surface of the water are present
  • Broken shoreline ice

Extreme cold temperatures and winds can also be dangerous to those using recreation sites in the winter.

If you're taking advantage of the outdoor recreation areas that are at many of our locations across the province, please stay safe: