KAMLOOPS — Equipment monitoring an unstable hillside above a neighbourhood north of Rayleigh has made an unsettling discovery: the hillside is still moving.
Specialized equipment was set up over the weekend, and did little to put minds at ease.
“We were able to get the monitoring equipment installed over the course of the weekend and have been receiving hourly readings since late Sunday night,” said Emergency Operations Centre Spokesperson Tammy Robertson. “From those readings, we’re finding that the slope is continuing to move downward.”
“We continue to have the evacuation order in effect, and we will until we see some stability on that slope. In an attempt to move up the process here, we’re looking at some mitigation measures to de-water the slope.”
Robertson says geotechnical experts have uncovered the source of the moisture causing the instability, and are preparing a fix.
“There’s a spring up above the problem area. We’re looking at installing some piping from that spring, diverting around the problem slope. That would allow some improved speed of de-watering and drying out that slope area.”
Robertson adds residents will continue to be out of their homes for at least the next week.
“What we do know is that if we do go ahead with these mitigation measures, that’s going to take five to seven days for the installation. Then we need some drying period of the slope. Once we have better confidence of the stability, we’ll look to remove that order and have the residents back into their homes.”
