Dickson Dam
Dickson Dam is a flow-regulation dam constructed in 1983 which impounded the Red Deer River creating a reservoir known as Gleniffer Lake. The dam is west of the town of Innisfail and southwest of the city of Red Deer. The dam was created to control for floods and low winter flows, to improve quality of the river, to create a recreational resource and to provide a reliable, year-round water supply sufficient for future industrial, regional and municipal growth.
Generation
All water control structures at the site, including the dam, intake, headgates, and spillway, are owned by the Province of Alberta and administered by Alberta Environment and Water. Algonquin Power owns a small hydropower station that was added to the dam. It consists of three 5 MW Barber turbines with Ideal Generators. Commercial operations began on January 16, 1992. Water management of the reservoir is directed by the provincial Ministry of Environment and Water.Under the Dickson Power Purchase Agreement signed in 1990, all electrical power generated by the facility was sold to TransAlta Utilities Corporation. The 20-year contract expired on January 16, 2012.
Low reservoir water levels were a concern in 2010.