B.C. to review drainage at Okanagan development after home hit by landslide
Homeowner claims development has altered area's drainage patterns
The province says it will be reviewing the drainage system at a Naramata, B.C., property development after a torrent of mud, water and debris crashed into a home downhill from the site during extreme rain.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours on March 22, causing floods across the region and forcing chunks of earth to give way above David Lea's property.
Lea says water flowed down from the trail into and around his home for hours afterward, until an emergency diversion was put in place by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
"The chasm up at the [Kettle Valley Railway Trail] end at the top is 12 feet deep and about 10 feet wide, and all the soil and boulders from that earth and space came down the hill," Lea said.
Lea claims a development located uphill from both his home and the trail has altered the drainage patterns in the area. He's concerned that with more heavy rainfall, his home could be threatened by another landslide.
Province reviewing drainage system
At the time of the slide, Lea's home was evacuated, and the regional district provided emergency housing for him and his wife.
They've since moved back, and Cameron Baughen of the regional district says the house is now safe, citing a geotechnical survey conducted soon after the landslide.
In a statement, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said it has ordered a more detailed review of the development to ensure its drainage system is working as intended. It says the review will be completed over the spring.
Meanwhile, the ministry says it is working with the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development to figure out whether any immediate improvements can be made to that system.
With files from CBC's Daybreak South