Quesnel Slippage Test Working

By 250 News

  Many West Quesnel residents are breathing easier after a test program to stop the movement of the ground and the homes that they are built on has shown promising results.

(photo at left of crack  in floor of a West Quesnel school, the crack caused by shifting ground  / photo Opinion250 archive)

Two types of wells have been introduced, vertical wells that pump water out of the ground and horizontal drains that remove ground water from the study area.

The Chairman of the West Quesnel Land Stability Advisory committee, Councillor Ron Craigmyle says “We're  a long way from saying we have a solution, but its promising to see some tangible results so early on”.

The trial dewatering program is a beginning of a program to design a large scale dewatering solution.

The purpose of the initial study has been to;

• see the rate of change during dewatering.
• How large the area in question is, and
• which method is most effective.

The Province gave Quesnel $1.2 million to complete the study, and Mayor Nate Bello says "We are committed to finding a solution. "

750 homes and about 2100 residents live in the slippage area of the community.

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