View source for Douglas Channel

{{short description|Inlet on the coast of British Columbia, Canada}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Douglas Channel
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| location           = [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]
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| coordinates        = {{coord|53|40|N|129|08|W|region:CA-BC_type:waterbody_source:http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/JCRZP|name=Douglas Channel|display=it}}
| type               = [[Fjord]]
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| oceans             = [[Pacific Ocean]]
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| pushpin_map             = British Columbia
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'''Douglas Channel'''<ref>{{Cite cgndb|JCRZP|Douglas Channel|2020-06-16}}</ref> is one of the principal [[fjord|inlets]] (or fjords) of the [[British Columbia Coast]], into which the [[Kitimat River]] flows. The channel was named in honour of [[James Douglas (governor)|Sir James Douglas]], the first governor of the [[Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)|Colony of British Columbia]].<ref>{{BCGNIS|38326|Douglas Channel}}</ref> The official length, from the head of Kitimat Arm and the [[Aluminium smelting|aluminum smelter]] town of [[Kitimat]] to [[Wright Sound]] (on the [[Inside Passage]] ferry route), is {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}}. The full length of the fjord's waterways includes waters between Kitimat and the open waters of the [[Hecate Strait]], outside of the coastal [[archipelago]], stretching for another {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}}, reaching {{convert|140|km|abbr=on}} in-total.

==Geography==
A major side-inlet, the [[Gardner Canal]], is {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}} in length, accessible from the Kitimat Arm of the Douglas Channel via [[Devastation Channel]] ({{convert|20|km|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), on the east side of [[Hawkesbury Island]]. South of Hawkesbury is [[Verney Passage]] ({{convert|40|km|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), which has a side-channel called [[Ursula Channel|Ursula Passage]] ({{convert|30|km|abbr=on|disp=comma}}). Total length of the [[fjord]] waterway dominated by Douglas Channel is therefore (not counting smaller side-inlets) roughly {{convert|320|km|abbr=on}}, considerably longer than [[Norway]]'s [[Sognefjord]] ({{convert|203|km|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) or [[Greenland]]'s [[Scoresby Sound]] at {{convert|350|km|abbr=on}}, though not as long as nearby [[Dean Channel]]'s total of {{convert|335|km|abbr=on}}.

==Industry==
Douglas Channel is a busy shipping artery because of the [[methanol]] import terminal (formerly methanol production and export) and the [[Aluminium|aluminum]] smelter at Kitimat, as [[bauxite]] must be shipped in and smelted aluminum shipped out. Expansions of the Port of Kitimat have increased the port capacity of the British Columbia's North Coast and decreased the shipping monopoly of the nearby city, [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Government of Canada investing $275M in $40B Kitimat LNG complex |url=https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/06/20190627-kitimat.html |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Green Car Congress}}</ref>

The methanol production and export plant closed in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/methanex-to-close-kitimat-methanol-ammonia-facilities |title=Methanex to close Kitimat methanol, ammonia facilities |date=2005-08-30|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190822184032/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/methanex-to-close-kitimat-methanol-ammonia-facilities |archive-date=2019-08-22}}</ref>

Douglas Channel will be subject to new sensitive ship traffic when the [[LNG Canada]] natural gas storage and liquefaction terminal is completed and operational, which is estimated to be in 2025. The project, led by an [[liquefied natural gas]] (LNG) subsidiary of [[Royal Dutch Shell]] and several Asian partners and finally approved on October 1, 2018, will see large [[LNG carrier]] ships loading liquefied natural gas at the future Kitimat LNG terminal, to carry it to export destinations, mainly in Asia.

The [[Gardner Canal]] is important for being the location of the [[Kemano]] Generating Station of the [[Nechako Diversion]], which was built to supply power for [[Kitimat]]. The head of the Gardner Canal, also, is the mouth of the [[Kitlope River]], a major wildlife and wilderness preserve and area of outstanding natural beauty and harsh weather.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{British Columbia hydrography}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Fjords of British Columbia]]
[[Category:North Coast of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Channels of British Columbia]]


{{BritishColumbiaNorthCoast-geo-stub}}