June 15, 2017 The Valley Voice 1 Volume 26, Number 12 June 15, 2017 Delivered to every home between Edgewood, Kaslo & South Slocan. Published bi-weekly. Your independently owned regional community newspaper serving the Arrow Lakes, Slocan & North Kootenay Lake Valleys. Nakusp Hot Springs Road re-opens after May 31 washout by Claire Paradis Springs employee Rick Offerman through by the road crew who installed. Fortunately, road crews are Chenuz said single lane traffic Cecilie Letting and Dwain Foster and RCMP Constable Lee Bellamy. worked actively to clear a passage in town at the moment so the time led by a pilot car will continue until were two of the 37 people who “We were well taken care of, through the water and dirt. is right to do road improvements, the 1.1 km of road is repaved, which unexpectedly spent the night at the well accommodated,” said Foster. Road crews worked to control Chenuz said. he estimates may take two weeks. Nakusp Hot Springs when the road Letting commented that “Rick and the water and re-establish drainage washed out on May 31. The couple the RCMP made it feel…fun!” immediately after the washout. were soaking at the springs with For his part, Chenuz was very Repairs were done so quickly that friends around 6 pm when Constable happy to have YRB, Galena Bay Nakusp Rec-Parks was able to post Lee Bellamy announced that the road Construction and Russell Hopp on Facebook that the Nakusp Hot down the mountain was closed. Construction quickly respond and Springs were open 10 am to 9 pm as Bart Chenuz, Ministry of get to work with MOTI to reopen of Thursday, June 9. CHENUZ BART CREDIT: PHOTO Transportation and Infrastructure the road. “Kudos to the staff of the (MOTI) Area Manager, said it was “They’re just awesome,” the Ministry of Transportation & a combination of high snowpack MOTI manager said. Chenuz was Infrastructure and YRB, our local levels and a rainstorm that caused the also impressed with the level of Highway Contractor, for their quick deluge of debris to come down and cooperation and understanding from response and excellent efforts to destroy the culvert at Dinner Creek. the Village of Nakusp. reopen the road as soon as possible,” Guests at the Cedar Chalets and Around 8 am, Letting, Foster and read the post. campers in the campground opened the other unplanned lodgers received “Our main goal is safety,” their doors to the mudslide refugees word that they had 45 minutes to stressed MOTI’s Chenuz, who added and thanks to everyone pulling gather their belongings and get into that the plan is to rework an entire together, said Letting, there were a convoy. The road had been repaired corner which will improve sightlines enough beds for everyone. enough that a single string of cars as well as increase drainage through For the Letting-Fosters, the and trucks could get down the hill, the larger replacement culvert. A YRB foreman Bill Cowan surveys the Nakusp Hot Springs Road washout scene on his last day heroes of the hour were Nakusp Hot said Letting. The convoy was hurried second backup culvert is also being at work before retiring. Zwicky Road landslide evacuation alert rescinded after geologists’ report by Art Joyce and Jan McMurray for April 18 only, and on alert until The failure area straddles Crown and possible that the entire slope, which normal – about 2.5 times normal. As The evacuation alert for six homes April 28. private land. The estimated 10,000- is about 1.5 km wide at its base along a comparison, rainfall in June 2012 below the Zwicky Road landslide According to the reports 20,000 cubic metres of material Zwicky Road, and about 1.5 km long, preceding the Johnson’s Landing slide near Kaslo was rescinded on May by professional geologists Sarah involved seems to be mainly colluvium consists of one or several dormant was 2.7 times normal. 30. Geotechnical experts visited the Crookshanks and Peter Jordan, from ancient landslide deposits. landslides, probably involving bedrock The report states that there has site in late May and determined that available on the RDCK website, the “Based on our field observations, as well as the overlying glacial till.” been no logging in the Zwicky Road the likelihood of continued landslide landslide appears to have come down as well as previous site assessments The geologists’ observations slide area, which is surrounded by activity was low. fairly slowly over about 14 hours on higher up the mountainside and terrain indicated that little or no landslide mature forest. The six properties were under April 17, from 8 am to 10 pm. The mapping completed in the 1990s by activity has occurred on this slope for If residents notice any debris evacuation order from April 18 to failure area, actually two slides side Kaslo resident Bill Wells, it is our at least several centuries, and possibly indicators or hazards, the RDCK April 28, and under evacuation alert by side, is about 100 metres long by interpretation that the slope on which not for thousands of years. would like them to call the 24-hour until May 30. Another 41 homes about 75 metres wide, with the toe the present landslide occurred consists Precipitation during March and Emergency Coordination Centre at nearby were on evacuation order about 300 metres above Zwicky Road. of deposits of ancient landslides. It is early April was much higher than 1-800-663-3456. SLOCAN PARK BRANCH 3014 HWY 6 SLOCAN PARK, BC PHONE: 250-226-7212 • FAX: 250-226-7351 Visitor Information – Pages 16 & 17 2 NEWS The Valley Voice June 15, 2017 High water affecting New Denver shoreline amenities by Katrine Campbell into cutting a new trail around it but didn’t know whether this would be and visitors: No logging to take place the water onto park land. Part of the Mori Trail along the after a walkabout with the engineers a test year or not. We know there is in Centennial Park! The logs will likely be used for shoreline of New Denver has been concluded the bank was too steep. potential water damage, and we’ll “One industrious resident was firewood for the campground, although flooded and damaged, but the Village “It wasn’t feasible. It would have consider our options once the lake level logging from the lake,” she said, and “we may go through a process to make was expecting it and isn’t worried. Chief been a tremendous undertaking, and is past peak.” was told to stop dragging logs out of logs available” to the public. Operating Officer Catherine Allaway would have eaten up such a huge • High water levels are also doing said they knew when construction portion of the budget there would be damage at the other end of the lake. began last year there were questions nothing left for the rest of the trail,” The boat launch on the south side of about how high water would affect the she said. Centennial Park has been closed due trail, but as the high water mark differs The trail is open on the beach at to debris, and the short walkway to from year to year, “we would just have low water, but at high water trail users the wharf has been disconnected from PHOTO CREDIT: ART JOYCE ART CREDIT: PHOTO to wait and see.” must take the path up the bank to the its posts. The Village decided to get as much Bellevue St to bypass the cabin. “There is unacceptable strain work done as they could at low water Allaway says the Village is trying with the wave action and the debris,” and hold back on the final surfacing. to get the most extensive things done Allaway said. “It was twisting in a way Now that the damage is done, they first, and placement of amenities and [Public Works] thought we were going have the budget and labour to modify access routes, with accompanying to lose it.” The crew also moved a bunch the trail to avoid damage in the future. signage, will be the last items done. of logs which were causing damage to At high water, the Mori Trail “The information from the high the wharf. The boat launch was closed ends at the southernmost cabin, near water level this year will inform those “because it’s extremely hazardous.” Bigelow Bay. Allaway says they looked decisions,” she said. “Last year, we The COO has a warning for residents High water in Slocan Lake is affecting many of the shoreline amenities. Joy Kogama at the Langham July 11 submitted and in 2006 she was made a Member of Langham Asian Series 2017 presents the Order of British Columbia. In 2010, the first event of its 75th Anniversary of the Japanese government honoured her Japanese Canadian Internment: Memory with the Order of the Rising Sun for and Reflection, with this special evening her contribution to the understanding performance with Joy Kogawa and and preservation of Japanese Canadian Soramaru Takayama. They will perform history. Her latest work, a memoir titled A Suitcase Of Memories at the Langham Gently to Nagasaki, was published in Cultural Society on Tuesday, July 11 2016. at 7 pm. Soramaru Takayam is a member Tickets will be available June 15 at of the Vancouver artist collective, Sunnyside Naturals and Willow Home Tasai. Sora brings his innovative poetry Boutique in Kaslo. Advance tickets $18, monodrama to Vancouver by way of $20 at the door. Youth (8 to 19 years old) ongoing solo performances and through get in free.