UPDATE: 3:30 p.m.
Provincial officials are watching as a pulse of water carrying sediment and debris moves down the Fraser River from the Chilcotin, asking people to continue to heed warnings to stay away from the riverbanks.
Last week, a massive landslide dammed the Chilcotin River at Farwell Canyon, creating a lake behind the slide. Water started to flow over the slide on Monday morning, creating a surge that has moved through the Chilcotin and into the Fraser River.
“The risk of a worst case scenario has drastically decreased, but we are not in the clear yet,” said Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, at a Tuesday news conference.
“Water from the Chilcotin River that has breached the blockade has now reached the Fraser River, and is expected to make its way down to Hope.”
Connie Chapman, executive director of water management with the ministry of water, land and resource stewardship, said the reservoir that formed behind the landslide is decreasing at a rate of about 2.5 metres per hour.
She said peak flows that occurred were estimated to be about 3,000 cubic metres per second.
“Flows this morning have also substantially eased off, with flows roughly between 500 and 1,000 cubic meters per second. As I say that, the average flow for freshet within the system, specifically the Chilcotin, is only around 300 cubic meters per second — so we are still three times or so above that average freshet flow,” Chapman said.
She said river flows then started to rise at Big Bar at about 6 p.m. Monday, with peak flow reported early Tuesday morning. Flows were measured at more than 3,600 cubic metres per second, with a 3.5 metre elevation change.
Chapman noted they are seeing the increase in river elevation gradually decline as the water pulse moves its way down the Fraser. She said about a 1.8 metre increase in water level is expected as the surge flows past Boston Bar.
“Through the remainder of today and into tomorrow, what we are really looking for is watching that pulse of water move through the system, looking for where debris is settling out, and understanding where the debris may have been caught up,” she said.
She added there is a risk of additional landslides above and below the Chilcotin blockage due to the “significant amount of water” that has been flowing through the predominantly silty and sandy area. People who have flown over the area have already noticed small slumping events occurring.
“With this event, and with 3,000 cubic metres per second really rushing through the Chilcotin valley and through that river system, we have seen undercutting of the banks,” she said, adding it will take more assessments to fully understand the scope.
“We do need the water levels to continue to recede down to the levels they were at prior to the event. So we've got a little bit to go, but there is evidence of undercutting and so we will be concerned, specifically for those banks, as to further sloughage and deposition into the river.”
Ma urged people who live along the river to stay informed and to stay away from the banks. She added people shouldn’t be flying drones over the rivers, as it interferes with the work of crews and experts on the ground and in the air.
“We do ask people to continue to stay off of the Chilcotin and the Fraser River and its banks. But because people are heeding those warnings, we're doing okay so far,” Ma said. “The worst case scenario would have been injuries and possibly death from people not heeding those warnings.”
UPDATE 12:30 p.m.
A massive landslide sending a torrent of water carrying large trees and debris downstream shows the power of Mother Nature, says a British Columbia Indigenous leader who has deep concerns about the rushing water's impact on critical salmon runs.
Joe Alphonse, Tsilhqot'in National Government tribal chair, said Tuesday he's "relieved" the dam created by last week's landslide on the Chilcotin River broke and "we hope and pray that it's not going to cause too much damage to property and people downstream from us."
British Columbia government officials, who are scheduled to provide an update on the situation later Tuesday, say there is a risk of more landslides and bank erosion as a large lake of water flows past a landslide that blocked the Chilcotin River for days.
Alphonse said he's aware of at least one heritage cabin being washed away from the banks of the raging Chilcotin River when the water started to flow over the top of the landslide area on Monday.
"You can't manipulate Mother Nature," he said. "We need to continue to monitor the river. There's a lot of work that needs to happen here."
Alphonse said the slide and damage from the rushing water could impact critical salmon runs heading for spawning areas upstream on the Chilcotin River and at Chilko Lake.
He said the valuable sockeye salmon run, currently making its way up the Fraser River, is due to arrive at the Chilcotin River this weekend, while some Chinook have passed by the slide area, but others are still in the river downstream from the slide.
"We need wild stock," Alphonse said. "We have always eaten wild salmon, wild moose and wild deer. We are dependent on wild stock salmon. When you live at the poverty line you can't afford to buy food from the health food store."
He called on the fisheries department to introduce "automatic" sport and commercial fishing restrictions to protect Chilcotin River and Chilko Lake salmon.
"We don't want to hear excuses for the Chilko Lake run," Alphonse said. "We want leadership and solutions. We have one of the last pure rivers in North America. There's no pollution in our rivers."
The fisheries department says in a statement Tuesday that based on historical timing, it believes the majority of adult chinook salmon returning to the Chilcotin River this season migrated past the slide site prior to last week's landslide.
Alphonse said the government did not make enough effort to work with the Tsilhqot'in, choosing instead to "strike fear into everyone. We don't need them in our territory as far as I'm concerned. The next go around we'll tell them to stay out."
UPDATE 9:35 a.m.
British Columbia officials say there is a risk of more landslides and bank erosion as a large lake of water and debris flows past a landslide that blocked the Chilcotin River for days.
The latest provincial update says a "significant amount of instability and bank failures" have been observed along the Chilcotin River from the confluence of the Fraser River to the site of the massive landslide.
Videos shared by the Tsilqot'in National Government show a small cabin, whole trees and chunks of the riverbank washing away in the fast-moving river.
The provincial update says officials haven't confirmed if the water flows that moved over the blockage on Monday have peaked, and it's possible that there may be another surge as the water moves through unstable sediments.
It says there is significant wood debris moving in the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers
Connie Chapman with the province's water management branch said the pulse of water after the dam breached Monday morning will make its way toward the Fraser River, and modelling shows it will reach the community of Hope sometime today.
Chapman said some places will see river levels swell to those comparable to a spring runoff, flowing down through the Fraser Canyon to Hope, which will see river levels increase about one metre.
She said once the water enters the Fraser River, it will have more room to spread out and officials will be monitoring how and where debris from the water pulse ends up.
Water and Resource Minister Nathan Cullen said experts from the province, First Nations and Canada's Fisheries Department "worked tirelessly" on the response to the landslide, which entered a "new phase" once it breached on Monday.
Cullen said they were preparing for "all possibilities," and though the risks are decreasing after the dam breach, the possibility of more landslides due to unstable slopes remains "a real concern."
Photo: Tsilhqot'in National Government
ORIGINAL 5:55 a.m.
The B.C. government says it's keeping a close eye on river flows as a "big pulse" of debris and sediment-laden water is expected to work its way down to the Fraser River after a massive landslide dammed the Chilcotin River last week.
Connie Chapman with the province's water management branch says the pulse of water after the dam breached yesterday morning will make its way toward the Fraser River, and modelling shows it will reach the community of Hope sometime today.
Chapman says some places will see river levels swell to levels comparable to the spring runoff, flowing down toward Lillooet, then Boston Bar and then onto Hope, which will see river levels increase about one metre.
— Nathan Cullen (@nathancullen) August 5, 2024Water and debris from the Chilcotin River landslide has now reached the Fraser River.
This video from early this afternoon shows why we remain on alert and people must keep off the river. #bcpoli @BowinnMa pic.twitter.com/AsTYAT9zJJ
She says once the water enters the Fraser River, it will have more room to spread out and officials will be monitoring how and where debris from the water pulse ends up.
Water and Resource Minister Nathan Cullen says experts from the province, First Nations and Canada's Fisheries Department "worked tirelessly" on the response to the slide, which entered a "new phase" once it breached the dam on Monday.
Cullen says they were preparing for "all possibilities," and though the risks are decreasing after the dam breach, the possibility of more landslides due to unstable slopes remains "a real concern."
Photo: The Canadian Press
The B.C. government says it's keeping a close eye on river flows as a
