HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Highway 37 between Kitwanga-Cranberry Junction was closed because of two large washouts between
Cranberry Junction-Deltaic Creek and along the Stewart-Meziadin Highway 37A. Near Kitwanga, an access road
serving two residences on Lot 3123 was flooded and washed out by the Kitwanga River. Erosion also caused loss of
land downstream of this area on Lot 1320. The cost of a total of 450 m of bank protection was estimated at $38,500.
The road leading to Stewart washed out, isolating the community. Apart from flooded basements, no major damage
occurred in Stewart. The road to Stewart was still closed on November 8.
Near Telkwa, minor flooding occurred in the lower Coal Mine Road area. The Telkwa River took out the
abutment of a logging road some 20 mi. (32 km) along Coal Mine Road. At the confluence of the Telkwa and Bulkley
rivers, high water aggravated erosion on the north bank of the Bulkley River opposite the confluence and also further
downstream at Big Eddy Park. A preliminary cost estimate to provide dyking and broken rock riprap bank protection
from the vicinity of the fire hall to Big Eddy Park was $195,000.
Though some damage occurred in the Bella Coola area, the highway system sustained little damage. Some
channel cleaning was carried out for the Ministry of Environment. The riprap protecting the Bella Coola airport
eroded at two locations for a total distance of about 70 m. The estimated cost to reconstruct the riprap to a stable slope
was $11,000. The Bella Coola Wilderness Airline float plane terminal on the south bank of the Bella Coola River
sustained damage. The docks washed away and the docking area was infilled with river gravel. The estimated repair
cost was $7,000. Near Firvale, 31 km east of Bella Coola, about 15 m off the end of the rock groyne eroded and a
logjam partially blocked the relief channel. The cost of restorative work was estimated at $11,000 and improvement
work at an additional $20,500. At Burnt Bridge Creek, about 37 km east of Bella Coola, a dike and bank protection
(constructed after the 1968 flood to plug and overflow channel) eroded. As a result, water flowed down the channel
and along the highway. The estimated cost of restoring the training dike to protect the highway and the farm was
$6,000. An additional $6,000 was later required to restore the bank protection to the pre-flood condition. About 180
m of existing bank protection along Nooklikonnik Creek, 12 km east of Bella Coola, eroded at various locations
upstream of the highway bridge. Additional gravel was sedimented in the stream channel. Restorative work of stream
cleaning and bank protection repair was estimated at $19,000 and improvement work at an additional $39,000. Debris
accumulation and channel accretion in the Salloompt River, 15 km east of Bella Coola, caused the river to change
course along a 450-m reach through the Hayden and Meyer properties. The Meyer property suffered extensive
flooding, with the water rising up to the main floor level at the house, about 1 m deep. The cost of cleaning the stream
was estimated at $21,500. An alternative dyking proposal to provide more comprehensive flood protection was
estimated to cost an additional $102,500. Along Thorsen Creek, 4 km east of Bella Coola, about 250 m of existing
bank protection at various locations eroded and gravel deposition in the channel increased. The estimated cost of
restoring the bank protection to a stable slope and removal of the newly deposited gravel was $28,000. An additional
$55,000 was later required for gravel removal to improve a 1,040 m reach of the creek.
On November 2, the Kispiox River near Hazelton recorded a maximum instantaneous discharge of 702 m 3 /s
and a maximum daily discharge of 595 m 3 /s. Both of these are extremes for the period of record (Environment Canada
1991). On the Kispiox River, existing erosion conditions on the outside of river meanders increased noticeably,
threatening cultivated fields, homesites, and a campsite. The cost of providing riprap at 11 sites, totaling 3,250 m in
length, was estimated at $280,000.
Logging roads in the Terrace area sustained heavy damage. Skeena Cellulose reported a cost of about
$500,000 to repair the road system between the Clore-Kitnayakwa. It involved a major reconstruction of 10 km of the
Copper River Forest road. In addition some $300,000 was spent on repair of the roads below the Clore. Repairs
included a major washout at the Clore junction, road at Kelly Creek, and at Kilometre 15 and Kilometre 3. Cost claims
for the reconstruction of the section 48.85-49.35 km near the Kitnayakwa junction totaled $125,328.49. An additional
$1,266.06 was spent on the temporary repairs to the Kitnayakwa bridge. Eurocan reported to have spent a total of
$33,171 on the repair of its roads in TFL 41. The repair included the removal of mudslides at 12.8 and 20 km on the
Wedeene Main, at 2.4 km and 5.0 km on the W. 200, and small slides between 1.6-6.4 km on the W. 1300 Road. An
additional $15,500 was planned for repair work on the Br. 200 W and Chist Main Line to be completed in 1979.
Damage to roads and bridges on the Copper River Forest Road and Clore River Operational Road were estimated at
$1,294,500 and $62,300, respectively. The latter was based on information supplied by CanCel.
The storm also caused extensive environmental damage in the form of landslides, erosion, and washouts on
the Queen Charlotte Islands. At Sachs Creek, both ends of the bridge were washed out and the bridge suffered a split
piling. Hands (Haans) Creek had side wash along the wing wall. Gore Creek on 2 nd Avenue had its 42-in. (106 cm)
diameter culvert washed out. Lawn Hill lost about 60 ft. (18 m) of shoulder. About one-third of the road width
washed out. At Deep Creek, two 48-in. (1.2 m) diameter culverts were exposed for about 15 ft. (4.5 m). The roadway
at the Skidegate Mission bridge was undermined. At Miller Creek, the roadway at the abutment washed out for 30 ft.
(9 m) longitudinally. The stream changed course, requiring a wing wall and 600 ft. (180 m) of channelisation
upstream. Sea erosion occurred on the Toe (Tow) Hill Road where the shoulder eroded 2 ft. (60 cm) wide for 200 ft.
(60 m). Near Skidegate, some 1,000 ft. (300 m) of roadway required riprapping.
Between October 29-November 1, the storm caused an estimated 1,000 slope failures all through the Queen
Charlotte Islands (B.C. Ministry of Forests). In the Rennell Sound area, many new slope failures occurred. *3) The
area received 284 mm of rain in three days. The weather station at Gospel Point recorded 277.6 mm of rain in three
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