View source for Kemano

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Location map|Canada British Columbia|lat=53.3359|long=-127.5700|width=200|caption=Location of Kemano in [[British Columbia]]|label=Kemano}}

'''Kemano''' was a settlement situated 75&nbsp;km (47&nbsp;mi) southeast of [[Kitimat]] in the province of [[British Columbia]] in [[Canada]]. It was built to service a [[hydroelectric]] power station, built to provide energy for [[Alcan]] to smelt [[Aluminium|aluminum]] from its ore. The [[Kemano Generating Station]] is built 427&nbsp;m (1,400&nbsp;ft) inside the base of Mt Dubose in a blasted cavern. It produces 896 MW of power from its eight generators, each of which has a capacity of 112MW.

==History==
[[Image:Kemano.JPG|right|thumb|350px|Kemano Beach, the former townsite is located further inland.]]
The plant comprises a 16&nbsp;km (9.9&nbsp;mi) long tunnel, the width of a two-lane highway, drilled and blasted through the coastal mountains to carry water to the penstocks of the Kemano powerhouse. The water plunges 800&nbsp;m (2,600&nbsp;ft) to drive the generators. The two 287 kV power transmission lines travel 82&nbsp;km (51&nbsp;mi) from Kemano to Kitimat<ref name=trans>[http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/northwest/kitimat/transmission.html The Transmission Line] ''[[Royal BC Museum]]''. Accessed: 16 February 2012.</ref> across some of the most rugged mountain territory in British Columbia, along the Kildala Pass, about 1,500&nbsp;m (5,000&nbsp;ft) above sea-level. Voice communication over the power lines was the only form of fast contact between the sites. Between 1951 and 1954, 6,000 construction workers built the [[Kenney Dam]], tunnel, powerhouse, transmission line, smelter, and townsite. There remains no road to Kemano; everything had to be brought in by air or sea. Construction equipment and supplies were barged over Tahtsa Lake to the eastern end of the tunnel.<ref name=kend>Kendrick, John. [http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/northwest/kitimat/happen.html Making It Happen] ''[[Royal BC Museum]]''. Accessed: 16 February 2012.</ref> Sixteen people died making the tunnel.<ref name=tun>[http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/northwest/kitimat/tunnel.html The tunnel] ''[[Royal BC Museum]]''. Accessed: 16 February 2012.</ref> In 1956 the smelter complex consumed 35% of yearly electric energy in British Columbia.<ref name=power>[http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/northwest/kitimat/powerhouse.html The Powerhouse] ''[[Royal BC Museum]]''. Accessed: 16 February 2012.</ref>

The first Kemano Project, known as [[Kenney Dam|Kemano I]], resulted in the flooding of {{convert|339|sqmi|km2}} of the [[Nechako Reservoir]], within [[Cheslatta Carrier Nation|Cheslatta]] territory.<ref name=kend1>[http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/northwest/kitimat/reservoir.html Reservoir and Dam] ''[[Royal BC Museum]]''. Accessed: 16 February 2012.</ref> This reputedly removed approximately 75% of the flow of the [[Nechako River|Nechako]], which is or was an important salmon river. Expansion on the project, known as [[Kemano II]], has been contested in the Canadian courts by members of the [[Cheslatta Carrier Nation]] with a group of Elders who have filed a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Kemano itself is a name for a tribal subdivision of the [[Haisla people|Henaksiala]], part of the [[Haisla people|Haisla]] group, and was a community in its own right after many of the coastal tribes withdrew during the influx of colonists post-1780, to remove themselves from the threat of diseases and the alien culture.  [[Kemano 17|Kemano Indian Reserve No. 17]] is located at the site of the Henaksiala village, though most [[Haisla people|Haisla]] in the region today live at [[Kitamaat Village]], near [[Kitimat]].

The [[company town]] of Kemano was originally built in the 1950s and was home to a thriving small community, featuring a guesthouse, a shop which sold everything from candy to guns to socks to hats, a golf course, curling rink, bowling alley, and a church. When the power station was automated, the town eventually closed its doors as a community in 2000, the residents were moved out, and the majority of houses (including the school) were burnt down as a training exercise for selected fire departments from all of BC. The plant still exists and is operational on a shift system.

==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Kemano
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 12.2
|Feb record high C = 13.5
|Mar record high C = 18.3
|Apr record high C = 28.0
|May record high C = 33.3
|Jun record high C = 36.0
|Jul record high C = 37.8
|Aug record high C = 35.0
|Sep record high C = 33.9
|Oct record high C = 23.0
|Nov record high C = 15.0
|Dec record high C = 11.5
|year record high C = 37.8
|Jan high C = 1.1
|Feb high C = 3.6
|Mar high C = 7.6
|Apr high C = 12.6
|May high C = 17.0
|Jun high C = 20.2
|Jul high C = 22.3
|Aug high C = 22.1
|Sep high C = 17.4
|Oct high C = 10.4
|Nov high C = 4.1
|Dec high C = 1.3
|year high C = 11.6
| Jan mean C  = -1.5
| Feb mean C  = 0.4
| Mar mean C  = 3.3
| Apr mean C  = 7.2
| May mean C  = 11.1
| Jun mean C  = 14.4
| Jul mean C  = 16.5
| Aug mean C  = 16.4
| Sep mean C  = 12.7
| Oct mean C  = 7.2
| Nov mean C  = 1.9
| Dec mean C  = -0.8
| year mean C = 7.4
|Jan low C = -4.0
|Feb low C = -3.0
|Mar low C = -1.1
|Apr low C = 1.8
|May low C = 5.2
|Jun low C = 8.5
|Jul low C = 10.5
|Aug low C = 10.6
|Sep low C = 7.9
|Oct low C = 4.0
|Nov low C = -0.4
|Dec low C = -3.0
|year low C = 3.1
|Jan record low C = -24.4
|Feb record low C = -24.0
|Mar record low C = -18.9
|Apr record low C = -7.8
|May record low C = -3.3
|Jun record low C = -0.6
|Jul record low C = 2.2
|Aug record low C = -0.6
|Sep record low C = -1.1
|Oct record low C = -14.5
|Nov record low C = -25.0
|Dec record low C = -21.5
|year record low C = -25.0
|Jan precipitation mm = 249.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 170.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 137.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 100.3
|May precipitation mm = 68.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 62.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 61.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 76.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 162.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 317.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 293.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 285.4
|year precipitation mm = 1986.9
|Jan rain mm= 190.2
|Feb rain mm= 136.3
|Mar rain mm= 122.2
|Apr rain mm= 98.1
|May rain mm= 68.7
|Jun rain mm= 62.5
|Jul rain mm= 61.9
|Aug rain mm= 76.9
|Sep rain mm= 162.5
|Oct rain mm= 315.2
|Nov rain mm= 257.6
|Dec rain mm= 219.6
|year rain mm= 1771.6
|Jan snow cm= 59.7
|Feb snow cm= 34.3
|Mar snow cm= 15.3
|Apr snow cm= 2.2
|May snow cm= 0.0
|Jun snow cm= 0.0
|Jul snow cm= 0.0
|Aug snow cm= 0.0
|Sep snow cm= 0.0
|Oct snow cm= 2.5
|Nov snow cm= 35.5
|Dec snow cm= 65.8
|year snow cm= 215.3
|precipitation colour = green
|rain colour = green
|source 1 = [[Environment Canada]]<ref name= "climate">{{cite web
|url =http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=396&lang=e&province=BC&provSubmit=go&page=101&dCode=0| title = Kemano | work = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010| publisher = Environment Canada| language = English, French| accessdate =24 September 2015}}</ref>
|date=September 2015
}}

==See also==
* [[Cheslatta River]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/accepted/?id=d759a638-d7c6-4155-97d7-3925b00b01bf PDF]- Article about the burning of the town
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100729085353/http://www.riotintoalcaninbc.com/pages/our-products/power-operations-watershed-management.php] – Rio Tinto Alcan BC
* {{BCGNIS|3166|Kemano (Community)}}
* {{BCGNIS|33802|Kemano Indian Reserve 17}}
* {{BCGNIS|39304|Kemano Beach (Landing)}}

{{Coord|53|33|59|N|127|57|00|W|display=title}}

{{IBWaterDiv}}

[[Category:Company towns in Canada]]
[[Category:Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine]]