HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Source: J.W. Schwab, pers. comm. 1990. B.C. Ministry of Forests, Smithers.
On October 2, 26 landslides occurred on Lyell Island on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Schwab, pers.
comm.).
November 11-12, 1990
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Kemano (66.0 mm/1 day), November 11, 1990; Kildala (67.5 mm/1 day), November 11, 1990; Hartley
Bay (114.6 mm/1 day), November 11, 1990; Falls River (67.8 mm/1 day), November 11, 1990; Terrace (71.4 mm/1
day incl. 26.2 cm snow), November 11, 1990; Pallant Creek (70.9 mm/2 days), November 11-12, 1990; Bella Coola
(84.0 mm/2 days), November 11-12, 1990; Kitimat Townsite (103.0 mm/2 days), November 11-12, 1990; Prince
Rupert (50.0 mm/1 day), November 12, 1990.
Source: Northern Sentinel, November 14, 1990; Terrace Review, November 14, 1990.
Overnight December 12, more than 2 ft. (60 cm) of snow fell in Terrace. No reference to damage was
found.
The Kitimat River flooded the work done on the water intakes in August, causing the municipal water to turn
murky. According to District Director of Engineering Tim Gleig, the water will remain discoloured until the backfill
material consolidates.
November 28-December 8, 1990
Event type: Storm surge and tidal flooding.
Precipitation: Bella Coola (126.0 mm/2 days), November 28-29, 1990; Nass Camp (152.0 mm/5 days), December 2-6,
1990; Prince Rupert M. Circ (346.9 mm/6 days), December 2-7, 1990; Pallant Creek (273.8 mm/6 days), December 2-
7, 1990; Kitimat Townsite (287.2 mm/6 days), December 2-7, 1990; Terrace (102.6 mm/1 day), December 3, 1990;
Bella Coola (77.4 mm/2 days), December 3-4, 1990; Falls River (232.8 mm/4 days), December 3-6, 1990; Hartley Bay
(323.4 mm/4 days), December 3-6, 1990; Prince Rupert (218.0 mm/5 days), December 3-7, 1990; Kildala (249.6 mm/5
days), December 4-8, 1990; Stewart A (210.6 mm/3 days), December 5-7, 1990; Sandspit A (88.9 mm/2 days),
December 6-7, 1990; Terrace (111.6 mm/1 day), December 7, 1990.
Source: Terrace Review, December 5 and 12, 1990; The Terrace Standard, December 12, 1990; Prince Rupert This
Week, December 9 and 16, 1990; The Daily News, December 4 and 10, 1990; The Vancouver Sun, December 3 and 4,
1990; Environment Canada 1991; Provincial Emergency Program. PEP Talk, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 1991.
In the 24 hours ending 10 p.m. on December 2, Terrace received 88 cm of snow (The Vancouver Sun,
December 4, 1990). Between the afternoon of December 2 and the morning of December 4, Terrace recorded 39.6 in.
(100.6 cm) of snow and 20 mm of rain. On December 3, 32.6 in. (82.8 cm) of snow fell, setting a new 24-hour record
for December. *1) In total, Terrace recorded 147.8 mm of rain in a week. An estimated 78 cm of melting snow added
approximately 78 mm of water to this total. The snow clearing cost Terrace some $30,000, exhausting the city’s snowclearing
budget.
On December 7 and 8, the communities of Terrace, Kitimat, James Flats, Hazelton, Stewart, Greenville, and
Queen Charlotte City all endured flooding. Terrace suffered only minor problems caused by groundwater retained by
frozen snow. Short sections of Keith Avenue on both sides of Kenney Street were flooded with 8-12 in. (20-25 cm) of
water. In the 4600 block of Straume Avenue and on Mountainvista Crescent, some basements flooded. At Lindsay’s,
some flooding occurred when a Howe Creek culvert near Kalum Drive filled to capacity. Five families required
temporary relocation because of flooding in the Copperside Estates. Residents living on the west side of Lakelse Lake
were cut off for a day when Beam Station Road near the airport was closed on December 7. At Lakelse Lake, flooding
and a 4-ft. (1.2 m) deep washout about 0.5 km south of Lakelse Lake Lodge Road closed First Avenue. The water
level in Lakelse Lake flooded some summer cabins and threatened some permanent homes. Old Lakelse Road suffered
washouts, reducing traffic to one lane. On Kalum Lake Drive, one house was flooded by inadequate ground drainage.
On December 3, the rail line east of Terrace and Highway 16 east and west were closed by slides. Slides
occurred 16 and 83 km west and 25 km east of Terrace. According to Mike Zylicz of North Coast Road Maintenance,
every available piece of equipment, 18 graders and several trucks were on the job. Highway 16 West was closed from
11:00 a.m. on December 3 until 10:00 a.m. on December 4. Highway 16 East reopened on December 4 at 5:00 a.m.
The Shames Mountain Road experienced some erosion problems and, during the late afternoon of December 7, an
avalanche closed the road for about four hours.
Highway 37 north of Meziadin was closed at times. Highway 37A between Meziadin-Stewart was closed for
four hours by a small slide at Bear Pass. On December 7, a slide came down on the highway to Rosswood, 17 km
north of Terrace. The traffic was restricted to one lane. Due to the instability of the road base, the highway was closed
from 11 p.m. on December 7 until 10 a.m. on December 8.
On Highway 37 between Terrace-Kitimat, temporary flooding near the entrance of Water Lily Bay
undermined one lane. Another section just south of the Kitimat River bridge was endangered. The swollen Kitimat
River was eroding the shoulder of the road. On December 7, the Kitimat River below Hirsch Creek recorded a
maximum instantaneous discharge of 1,340 m 3 /s and a maximum daily discharge of 1,090 m 3 /s (Environment Canada
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