What is this huge line across Canada?
January 1, 2007 12:43 PM Subscribe
What is this huge long line in Canada? A friend of mine was flying back from europe and saw this huge long grey line going across Canada. It looks to big to be a road. We're stumped! Does anybody know what it is?
Look at it on Google Maps
Response by poster: the huge grey one that goes through the woods. if you zoom out, it goes for a while.
posted by excitementMD at 12:47 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by excitementMD at 12:47 PM on January 1, 2007
It's probably a cleared right-of-way for high-tension powerlines, or an oil or gas pipeline.
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2007
Ah, yes -- when you get up to the dam, there's some more recent higher resolution images where you can actually make out the lines.
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2007
Response by poster: mystery solved. thanks a lot!
posted by excitementMD at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by excitementMD at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2007
Yep, powerlines.
I followed it east and it went to a high-res section. You can see the wires when it crosses a river.
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:56 PM on January 1, 2007
I followed it east and it went to a high-res section. You can see the wires when it crosses a river.
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:56 PM on January 1, 2007
As has been pointed out, if you follow the line north, you'll reach a hydroelectric plant at Churchill Falls. It's the second largest hydroelectric plant in the world. Much of the electricity produced there is exported to the United States, I believe.
posted by jal0021 at 12:57 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by jal0021 at 12:57 PM on January 1, 2007
It terminates at the Churchill Falls hydroelectric station, the second largest such station in North America.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 1:00 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by monju_bosatsu at 1:00 PM on January 1, 2007
That's cool! And it is near the coolest topographic feature in Quebec, that I stumbled upon looking for the dam, Manicouagan Reservoir formed when a huge meteorite impact crater was converted to a reservoir. It's so huge, you can pick it out on a wall map map of Canada, easily.
posted by Listener at 1:37 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by Listener at 1:37 PM on January 1, 2007
Devils Rancher has it. Last year, for an environmental assessment, I had to trace the route of the power line that runs from Delta (south of Vancouver) across the Strait of Georgia, over Galiano and Saltspring Islands, to Maple Bay and on to Victoria, using aerial photos from various years. The line you see is the cutback where vegetation was cleared for the towers.
posted by solid-one-love at 1:49 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by solid-one-love at 1:49 PM on January 1, 2007
Manicouagan Reservoir ...
Wow, that is cool. Thread delivers.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:26 PM on January 1, 2007
Wow, that is cool. Thread delivers.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:26 PM on January 1, 2007
Wow, that's a fairly wide hydro corridor, is it not? Measuring its width on Google Earth gave me over 720 feet.
posted by oaf at 3:25 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by oaf at 3:25 PM on January 1, 2007
forest product companies are often blamed for clearcuts and other impacts on the landscape, but no one ever blames the hydro companies for their scarring practices.
posted by seawallrunner at 3:34 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by seawallrunner at 3:34 PM on January 1, 2007
Wow, that's a fairly wide hydro corridor, is it not? Measuring its width on Google Earth gave me over 720 feet.
It is really wide, but it's also for really huge transmission lines. Having any storm-damaged trees near those suckers would be trouble. Plus, a lot of area was probably needed to erect the towers and whatnot in the first place. Ditto if/when they need to be repaired.
posted by CKmtl at 4:38 PM on January 1, 2007
It is really wide, but it's also for really huge transmission lines. Having any storm-damaged trees near those suckers would be trouble. Plus, a lot of area was probably needed to erect the towers and whatnot in the first place. Ditto if/when they need to be repaired.
posted by CKmtl at 4:38 PM on January 1, 2007
Wow. I would kill for a high-res copy of that Churchill Falls switchyard photo shown here.
posted by mykescipark at 4:55 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by mykescipark at 4:55 PM on January 1, 2007
seawallrunner: there's actually a huge stink on Galiano Island right now about the power line corridors that solid-one-love mentions above. BC Hydro is going to be upgrading one of them and many people would rather have them decommission it and find some other solution. Problems include: they're ugly, the amount of pesticide needed to keep the corridor clear, fear of EM radiation, and others. I think there is similar uproar in Delta and Saltspring Island about it.
I actually live right next to the lines when they briefly hop onto Parker Island (between Galiano and Saltspring), and I've always really liked HT line corridors, so I have no problem with it. It's fun to watch the Hydro guys helicoptor in to work on the lines, and once in a while I get to watch them inspect them under the water with a small submarine.
posted by Emanuel at 5:16 PM on January 1, 2007
I actually live right next to the lines when they briefly hop onto Parker Island (between Galiano and Saltspring), and I've always really liked HT line corridors, so I have no problem with it. It's fun to watch the Hydro guys helicoptor in to work on the lines, and once in a while I get to watch them inspect them under the water with a small submarine.
posted by Emanuel at 5:16 PM on January 1, 2007
Power lines, although I guess people have already proved this. I myself asked a similar question not too long ago about a cut through southern Indiana.
posted by ztdavis at 5:43 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by ztdavis at 5:43 PM on January 1, 2007
It doesn't go to Churchill falls, it goes to Manic 2 as you can see from this google map link. There's no reason why Quebec would need any Hydro supplied by Newfoundland and Labrador.
posted by furtive at 5:50 PM on January 1, 2007
posted by furtive at 5:50 PM on January 1, 2007
There's no reason why Quebec would need any Hydro supplied by Newfoundland and Labrador.
...other than perhaps selling it to other customers on the North American power grid (and reaping a tidy profit in the bargain).
The preceding link (to a rather spittle-flecked 1996 speech by then-NL-premier Brian Tobin to the Montréal Rotary Club) provided for equal parts amusement and background. The Churchill Falls agreement has been rather a burr under NL's saddle for over thirty years - a combination of shame on you/shame on me. Isn't stopping them from seeking Québec's cooperation for the Lower Churchill project, though ('twould be hard to do it otherwise).
posted by hangashore at 6:28 PM on January 1, 2007
...other than perhaps selling it to other customers on the North American power grid (and reaping a tidy profit in the bargain).
The preceding link (to a rather spittle-flecked 1996 speech by then-NL-premier Brian Tobin to the Montréal Rotary Club) provided for equal parts amusement and background. The Churchill Falls agreement has been rather a burr under NL's saddle for over thirty years - a combination of shame on you/shame on me. Isn't stopping them from seeking Québec's cooperation for the Lower Churchill project, though ('twould be hard to do it otherwise).
posted by hangashore at 6:28 PM on January 1, 2007
There's no reason why Quebec would need any Hydro supplied by Newfoundland and Labrador.
Need? Probably not. Makes use of it anyway? Yup.
posted by CKmtl at 7:00 PM on January 1, 2007
Need? Probably not. Makes use of it anyway? Yup.
posted by CKmtl at 7:00 PM on January 1, 2007
forest product companies are often blamed for clearcuts and other impacts on the landscape, but no one ever blames the hydro companies for their scarring practices
I guess forest companies do a lot more than just scar. Not gonna fight here, but just look at this network of massive wounds. I was very impressed when I first stumbled upon this in looking for some topographic feature in my region.
Since you brought it up, another interesting source of habitat-fragmenting scars are the "predator highways" [so named because they allow new predator species into habitats of forest dwelling creatures] cut for gas exploration, called seismic lines. I have no topo images of those, but I'd love to see one.
So, let's blame the gas guys, too!
posted by Listener at 8:56 PM on January 1, 2007
I guess forest companies do a lot more than just scar. Not gonna fight here, but just look at this network of massive wounds. I was very impressed when I first stumbled upon this in looking for some topographic feature in my region.
Since you brought it up, another interesting source of habitat-fragmenting scars are the "predator highways" [so named because they allow new predator species into habitats of forest dwelling creatures] cut for gas exploration, called seismic lines. I have no topo images of those, but I'd love to see one.
So, let's blame the gas guys, too!
posted by Listener at 8:56 PM on January 1, 2007
excitementMD - Maybe you could add "powerlines" and "clearing" as tags, so future posters don't repost this question. Not a big deal, but as ztdavis noted, there was an almost identical question not too long ago.
posted by Alt F4 at 5:35 AM on January 2, 2007
posted by Alt F4 at 5:35 AM on January 2, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by blue_beetle at 12:45 PM on January 1, 2007