TWIN FALLS

TWIN FALLS

Twin Falls was built to supply power for Labrador City and Wabush. Twin is about 32 miles by road from Churchill Falls. Twin Falls is on the Unknown River and Churchill Falls is on the Churchill (Hamilton) (Grand) River. BRINCO built Twin Falls first, they also built Churchill Falls. I think they started Twin in 1959-60. They had nine earth dams, I think. The reservoir had a spillway and there was a spillway at Twin. The dams, counting Ossok (15 mile away), spread out about 20 miles. That was all dammed off for the reservoir. The forebay had about a mile and a half of dam to keep it there. The last dam was just above Scott Falls. The Scott and Thomas Falls were about three miles apart. I been down to them both.

The powerhouse had five units when it was finished. When I went there they were only puttin' in two, but they extended it. The powerhouse is built right under a drop of about 300 feet down in a canyon. The penstock come down about 318 feet or something. They left the first two penstocks open, the next two they covered with cement all the way down. The last one they left open, experimenting for ice build-up. The water came down from the forebay through the penstocks into the turbines. The turbines set the power.

The only two buildings with the layout that operated the powerhouse was the powerhouse and the intake building. Half ways between the two there was an office building built about 1964 or '65.

MAX McLEAN
1989 - NORTH WEST RIVER

THEM DAYS VOL. 15.2