Spillimacheen River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spillimacheen River |
|
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Near Glacier National Park |
| River mouth | Columbia River Spillimacheen 784 m (2,572 ft) 50°55′N 116°24′W / 50.917°N 116.400°W |
| Length | 118 km (73 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 1,430 km2 (550 sq mi) |
The Spillimacheen River is a cool river in British Columbia, Canada. It's a tributary of the big Columbia River, which means it flows into the Columbia River.
Where the Spillimacheen River Flows
The Spillimacheen River starts its journey just east of a beautiful place called Glacier National Park. It flows towards the southeast, picking up water from smaller streams along the way.
Some of these streams that join the Spillimacheen River are Baird Branch, McMurda Creek, and its most important helper, Bobbie Burns Creek. Finally, the river empties into the Columbia River near the small community of Spillimacheen.
The river drops a lot in height as it flows. It goes down over 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) over a distance of about 80 kilometres (50 mi). That's like going down a really long, gentle slide!
The Spillimacheen Dam
There's a special dam on the Spillimacheen River called the Spillimacheen Dam. It's located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) upstream from where the river meets the Columbia River.
This dam is a "run-of-river" dam. This means it uses the natural flow of the river to create electricity, without needing to store a lot of water in a big reservoir. The Spillimacheen Dam was built a long time ago, in 1955.
