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Big Bar landslide response information bulletin

March 6 2020

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On site, in-river work has begun

Crews have completed the Overland Access Road down to the west beach, allowing heavy equipment to reach the river. This has enabled crews to construct “fingers” out to the large boulders in the river, allowing drilling equipment to better access these boulders. Lighter drilling equipment has been removed from the East Toe while the in-river work is underway, and it is expected that a track drill will be deployed to the East Toe to complete drilling for a second blast. In-river drilling, blasting and excavation is expected to continue until at least mid-March.

High Bar and Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nations Visit Big Bar Site

On February 27, leadership from High Bar First Nation (HBFN) and Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (SXFN) visited the Big Bar site to view the work in progress and learn more about planned work ahead of the spring freshet. After a helicopter fly-over of the site, participants boarded river boats to view the slide site up close, see where the East Toe blasting occurred and witness progress on the access road to the slide site on the west bank. DFO, PSPC and Provincial staff described upcoming activities and objectives in the context of removal of key boulders and slide features now exposed by low water.

Following the river boat tour, participants drove to the top of the Overland Access to view the advancing work front, and then down to the Salmon Trail to where archaeology assessments are currently underway and where archeologist, Kim Christenson provided an update on the archeological activities.

Current images of work being done at the landslide site

An aerial shot of the slide site showing current river flow post-blasting on March 5, 2020. Click to enlarge.
CATs work on building access to the West Bank . Click to enlarge.
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