Resource officers seeking those responsible for 2014 landslide near Enderby
Officials originally believed a burst beaver dam was the cause
Resource officers are asking for the public's help in finding who is responsible for tampering with culverts at Dale Lake, causing a debris flood down Cooke Creek east of Enderby, B.C., on May 2, 2014.
No one was killed or injured in the flood, but road access and power was cut off to Enderby, and a salmon hatchery was destroyed.
Originally, officials with the North Okanagan Regional District believed an ice jam over a beaver dam thawed in the warm weather and caused the slide. But Patrick Tobin with the Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Ministry says later interviews have ruled out that theory.
"We did a Sherlock Holmes-type exercise and eliminated everything we possibly could, and what we're left with is is the only logical result … tampering with the culverts seems to be the issue that caused the slide," he told Radio West host Rebecca Zandbergen.
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Tobin says he doesn't believe there were nefarious intentions behind any damage done to the culverts (large water-bearing pipes that carry water under a road or bridge), and his personal suspicion is that it might have been people fishing and looking to create more ideal lake conditions.
Anyone with any information can submit a report by contacting the Natural Resource Violation reporting line at 1 844 NRO-TIPS (1 844 676 8477) or online.
Anyone found guilty of causing environmental damage as a result of tampering with culverts on Crown land can be ticketed $575 or fined up to $100,000 and/or one year in jail.
To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Beavers cleared, investigators look for real culprit in 2014 landslide