B.C. makes flood plans for possible ‘worst case’ if landslide bursts from river

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — B.C.’s Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says the best-case scenario for a landslide blocking the Chilcotin River is a gentle clearing that doesn’t take debris down the river.

However, both Ma and the B.C. River Forecast Centre say they’re planning for the worst-case scenario if the dam bursts and sends water rushing down the Chilcotin and into the Fraser River.

The forecast centre says its modelling shows that if that occurs, the level in the Chilcotin River would be well above peak spring runoff until it gets to the Fraser River, while the estimated flows in the Fraser would be below typical spring peak water levels.

Ma says they are sending flood preparation equipment and sandbags to some communities along the Fraser River and are planning in case there’s a need to evacuate some communities, although that is unlikely.

The province issued an emergency alert late Friday, warning people anywhere on the Chilcotin River or along its banks between the Hanceville Bridge and the Fraser River to evacuate immediately.

The landslide came down Wednesday, damming the river and creating a lake about 11 kilometres long behind the slide.

The situation is also being monitored by the federal Fisheries Department, which says adult chinook and sockeye salmon are currently present in the river, and likely to be affected by the blockage.