HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

*1) Riley Creek, along with Bonanza and Gregory creeks, account for 25% of pink salmon stocks in the Rennell Sound
area (Smuin, In: The Vancouver Sun, December 4, 1979).
*2) On February 12, 1980, Waterland announced that logging on steep slopes on the Queen Charlotte Islands would be
prohibited until techniques would be developed to prevent further mudslides. (Victoria Times, February 13, 1980).
(see: October 29-November 1, 1978 event).
December 25-27, 1979
Event type: Flooding and debris slides.
Precipitation: Kildala (120.0 mm/2 days), December 25-26, 1979; Sewell Inlet (300.4 mm/3 days), December 25-27,
1979; Terrace (151.4 mm/3 days), December 25-27, 1979; Kitimat 2 (285.0 mm/3 days), December 25-27, 1979;
Kemano (63.4 mm/1 day), December 26, 1979; Terrace (94.9 mm/1 day), December 26, 1979; Tasu Sound (83.3 mm/2
days), December 26-27, 1979; Sandspit A (51.6 mm/2 days), December 26-27, 1979; Stewart A (84.0 mm/2 days),
December 26-27, 1979.
Source: Terrace Kitimat Daily Herald, December 27, 1979; Northern Sentinel, December 27, 1979; Environment
Canada 1991.
In Kitimat, spot floods occurred in the Columbia and Kuldo Boulevard areas and the River Lodge parking
lot. On December 27, the Kitimat River below Hirsch Creek recorded a maximum instantaneous discharge of 1,230
m 3 /s and a maximum daily discharge of 794 m 3 /s (Environment Canada 1991).
Old Lakelse Road was closed by three separate washouts. The Bailey bridge on 1st Avenue near Oli’s Place
washed out. The west end corner of the bridge dropped 4 ft. (1.2 m).
Heavy rain and snow closed Highway 37 north of Meziadin.
In the Rennell Sound area on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the debris slide on Cutting Permits CP 144 and CP
145 enlarged. The weather station at Gospel Point recorded 225.4 mm of rain in four days.
1980
Event type: Landslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: S. Johnson, pers. comm. October 1996; Geertsema 1998.
In 1980, a slide occurred on the west bank of the lower Sheslay River. (S. Johnson, pers. comm.). The
Sharktooth slide penetrated approximately 800 m into the hill slope, covering an area of about 40 ha, crown to tip
spoil. It involved 3-4 million m 3 of mud. Triggered by aggressive bank erosion at the outside of a hairpin bend, the
slide was likely retrogressive. Materials exposed in the scarp include glaciolacustrine mud, till and volcanic and shaly
bedrock near the headscarp.
The slide, which appears in an area with previous slide history, pushed the Sheslay River to the opposite side
of the valley. Slide debris may have impounded the river for a short duration.
July 1980
Event type: Fatal debris slide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Terrace-Kitimat Daily Herald, July 4, 1980.
In July, a debris avalanche in the Beaver Valley near Terrace killed an equipment operator. The vibration of
a caterpillar tractor set off the accident.
With only 10.4 mm of precipitation, Terrace reported the driest month of June since 1957. *1) During the
month, there were only five days with measurable rain, half the normal of 11.
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*1) The previous record was set in June 1958 with 16.8 mm of rain (Terrace-Kitimat Daily Herald, July 4, 1980).
September 3-5, 1980
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Hartley Bay (129.1 mm/2 days), September 3-4, 1980; Kildala (79.2 mm/2 days), September 3-4, 1980;
Sewell Inlet (72.3 mm/1 day), September 4, 1980; Tasu Sound (70.3 mm/1 day), September 4, 1980; Bella Coola
(149.4 mm/2 days), September 4-5, 1980; Kemano (39.6 mm/1 day), September 5, 1980.
Source: The Tribune, September 9, 1980; B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways 1982 (p. 338).
Around September 6-7 following a week of heavy rain, Willis Bridge over Snootshlee Creek near Bella
Coola on the Chilcotin-Bella Coola Highway 20 washed out. Continuous rain during the previous 24 hours was
estimated at 6 in. (150 mm). As a temporary replacement, a 100-ft. (30 m) Bailey span was installed by noon on
September 9. According to the police, “only two locals had water problems at their homes.”
December 7-15, 1980
Event type: Flooding and snow avalanches.
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