HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

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*1) Floodlevel at Prince George is at 9.6 m (Prince George Citizen, May 26, 1999).
June 1999
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Province, June 20, 1999; The Globe and Mail, June 21, 1999; Quesnel Cariboo Observer, June 13 and 30,
1999; The Terrace Standard, June 19, 2002; Ministry of Environment files.
In June during the spring runoff, flooding occurred in the Terrace and Remo areas. In Terrace, Jutta
Smeltzer’s Queensway home was surrounded by water. Skeena River floodwaters covered the backyard and spilled
roughly 200 m in front of her home. A makeshift wall of sandbags saved the home from water damage. Near Remo,
Brent Rogers and Dieter Bahr lost their potato crop to floodwaters.
With unseasonably cool weather the danger of serious flooding in Quesnel lessened, but the snow levels in
the Quesnel and Fraser River watersheds remained above normal. Public Works crews completed armouring the south
bank of the Quesnel River and the construction of a dike along the west bank of the Fraser River. In order to alleviate
public concerns, Public Works crews started to landscape the residential side of the West Quesnel dike.
Fast rising waters of the Quesnel River undermined the foundations of a landmark historical building known
as the Tong House in Quesnelle Forks. *1) On June 27, the building was threatened of washing downstream. During a
daylong operation on June 27 the wood structure was separated from its concrete foundations and moved to safety.
Two other historical buildings located in Quesnelle Forks remained at the risk of washing away.
Flooding also closed several roads. South of Valemount, Highway 5 North was reduced to single-lane,
alternating traffic.
On June 16, the culvert crossing on Highway 5 became blocked, causing buildup of water which washed out
the foundation of the Nifac (Ministry of Forests firefighting camp) pumphouse 9 km north of Valemount. Total
restoration cost was $3,317. On June 17, flooding near Valemount derailed a 70-car eastbound CN Rail freight train.
The cars and a locomotive were knocked off the tracks. Late on June 19, the line reopened. On June 19, a section of the
Yellowhead Highway, about 45 km south of Valemount washed out by heavy rains and runoff from a nearby creek.
On June 16-17, heavy runoff caused debris and creek bedload to block a culvert at km 5.2 Mountain View
Forest Service Road, causing a road washout. Total restoration cost was $8,998.10.
On June 25, a debris flow at Goslin(g) Creek near Tete Jaune caused some erosion to a private access road to
Highway 16 East.
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*1) The more than 100-year old 6 x 8-m building is the most significant structure in the ghost town of Quesnelle Forks.
It is believed to have served as a social meeting place for the 3,000 Chinese men who inhabited the town during the
Cariboo gold rush (Quesnel Cariboo Observer, June 30, 1999).
September 11, 1999
Event type: Rockslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Terrace Standard, June 19, 2002; Cruden and Lu 1992; Schwab et al. 2003.
On September 11 at 3 a.m., a massive rockslide came down in the Telkwa Pass about 50 km from Terrace,
severing the Pacific Natural Gas (PNG) main pipeline. The slide path through mature forest covered an area 1,200 m
long and up to 400 m wide. Trees were blown over by the resultant air blast along the sides and front margin.
Landslide debris dammed Limonite Creek, creating a lake that filled within a few days. According to Jim Schwab,
research geomorphologist for the Prince Rupert Forest Region, there is a long history of landslides in the area. *1)
The Howson rock avalanche originated as a topple of about 0.9 million m 3 from a bedrock ridge at 1,923 m
a.s.l. The rock toppled and slid on a 48 o slope for 150 m on to glacial ice. The rock avalanche expanded to cover the
glacier to a width of 300 m spreading out on a 10 o slope. Rubble hurtled over the ice along an ever-increasing slope
gradient, dropping into Limonite Creek valley over a slope of close to 40 o . Maximum velocity was probably reached
as the avalanche dropped into the valley. At about 500 m below the drop, uprooted and snapped trees were observed.
Velocity estimates necessary to uproot and snap trees are in the order of 18-30 m/s, as discussed by Cruden and Lu
(1992). Travel through the forest was along a slope gradient of 22 o and deposition occurred on slopes of 5-10 o . The
rock avalanche travelled a distance of 2.7 km, dropping 1,300 m in elevation. *2) A few large boulders, some up to 10
m in diameter, were strewn along the landslide path. The Howson rock avalanche appears to have involved an
estimated 1.5 x 10 6 m 3 of material.
During the months of May to September, precipitation for the nearby Terrace airport was two times normal.
At the time of the slide, conditions were generally clear and cool with freezing temperatures at the higher elevations in
Howson Range.
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* 1) On June 8, 2002, a similar slide would occur in the Copper River area (The Terrace Standard, June 19, 2002).
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