Worst-Case Models Point to Reduced Chilcotin Landslide Downstream Flood Threat

Worst-case scenario modelling of the potential impacts of an over-the-top water breach of a massive landslide blocking British Columbia’s Chilcotin River points to reduced flood threats downstream, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said Saturday. Downstream Fraser River communities of Lillooet, Lytton, Boston Bar and Hope can expect to see higher water levels if the slide blocking the Chilcotin River south of Williams Lake gives way in the coming days, but the water flows will be similar to those of a normal spring run off season, she said at a news conference. “Worst case scenario modelling suggests that while flows in the Chilcotin River are expected to be well above normal freshet flows, water levels in the Fraser River are likely to be lower than what we would normally see during a normal freshet season,” said Ma. “Ultimately, this is an encouraging development for communities downstream.”...