Gardner Canal

The Gardner Canal[1] is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. Technically a side-inlet of the larger Douglas Channel, the Gardner Canal is still 90 km (56 mi) in length in its own right; total length of the waterways converging on the Douglas Channel is 320 km (200 mi) making it one of the largest fjord-complexes in the world.

Gardner Canal
Gardner Canal near Kemano
Gardner Canal
Location in British Columbia
LocationBritish Columbia, Canada
Coordinates53°26′35″N 128°23′30″W
TypeFjord

Name origin

It was named in 1793 by George Vancouver in honour of his friend and former commander, Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner.[2] One of his men, Joseph Whidbey, first charted it the same year.[3]

Geography

The entrance to the Gardner Canal is hidden behind Hawkesbury Island, and is accessed via Devastation Channel or Varney Passage which form the northeast and southeast flanks of that island.

Segments of the Gardner Canal are named "reaches". They are, from mouth to head, Alan Reach,[4] Europa Reach,[5] Barrie Reach,[6] Whidbey Reach,[7] and Egeria Reach.[8] The extreme head is called Kitlope Anchorage.[9] Side inlets include Ochwe Bay,[10] Triumph Bay,[11] Kiltuish Inlet,[12] Owyacumish Bay,[13] and Chief Mathews Bay.[14]

Kemano Generating Station

The Gardner Canal is the location of the Kemano Generating Station of the Nechako Diversion, which was built to supply power for an Alcan aluminum smelter in Kitimat. The generating station is located about halfway along the canal on its north bank, at the mouth of the Kemano River. At the head of the Gardner Canal is the mouth of the Kitlope River a major wildlife and wilderness preserve, the Kitlope Heritage Conservancy, an area of outstanding natural beauty and harsh weather.

References
  1. "Gardner Canal". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  2. "Gardner Canal". BC Geographical Names.
  3. Vancouver, George, and John Vancouver (1801). A voyage of discovery to the North Pacific ocean, and round the world. London: J. Stockdale.
  4. "Alan Reach". BC Geographical Names.
  5. "Europa Reach". BC Geographical Names.
  6. "Barrie Reach". BC Geographical Names.
  7. "Whidbey Reach". BC Geographical Names.
  8. "Egeria Reach". BC Geographical Names.
  9. "Kitlope Anchorage". BC Geographical Names.
  10. "Ochwe Bay". BC Geographical Names.
  11. "Triumph Bay". BC Geographical Names.
  12. "Kiltuish Inlet". BC Geographical Names.
  13. "Owyacumish Bay". BC Geographical Names.
  14. "Chief Mathews Bay". BC Geographical Names.


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