Water expected to overflow Chilcotin landslide overnight

British Columbia’s emergency management ministry said water is expected to start moving over the top of the massive landslide site currently blocking the Chilcotin River within hours.

Last Wednesday, an overnight landslide on the Chilcotin River created a dam across the river roughly 600 metres wide and 30 metres tall. Debris, like fallen trees, and water have been building up behind the landslide for days. 

Since then, officials have warned that dam will fail.

Evacuation orders remain in place for about 100 square kilometres of land along the Chilcotin River, stretching from near Hanceville, B.C., to where the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers meet. The orders affect 13 residents, according to officials, and about 2,500 cattle. 

On Sunday night, the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) issued an evacuation order for eight parcels south of the confluence of Chilcotin and Fraser rivers, covering about 9.62 square kilometres. Two parcels about 1.57 square kilometres in the Churn Creek Bridge Area are also under evacuation order. 

Stay away from the riverbanks, warns official

Gerald Pinchbeck, information officer for the regional district’s EOC, says flooding and debris are expected from the landslide. He’s urging locals to stay away from the Fraser River and adjacent riverbanks. 

“These debris will include dislodged trees, logs and other wooden material that will create hazard for people and infrastructure in the river,” he told CBC News. 

“The most critical thing right now is people stay off the river and river banks. This is a historic slide, a historical release of water, and it comes with historic consequences.” 

Pinchbeck says evacuees can access emergency services at Williams Lake, north of the Churn Creek area.

In a statement Sunday, the ministry said it’s continuously monitoring the area, conducting aerial survey flights and gathering additional technical data.

“We are not letting our guard down even for a second,” said Nathan Cullen, B.C.’s minister of water, land and resource stewardship.

Water will take up to 14 hours to pass through blockage

The ministry anticipates the water will start to move over the blockage late on Sunday or early on Monday, and enter the riverbed below the slide site.

The water level behind the natural dam has been rising steadily since the landslide at a rate of about 18 centimetres per hour.

According to current estimates, it will take 12 to 24 hours for the water to pass through the…