Jane Emerick
Special to The Chief
A local geological engineer is calling for an assessment of areas in Squamish he says are of "high risk" for slides.
Frank Baumann, who operates an engineering business under his name, as well as working for Horizon Engineering in Vancouver, said there are several areas in Squamish that have the potential to slide and cause damage.
Baumann has identified the slope behind Bill's Place in Garibaldi Highlands, the slope below Hospital Hill and the slope below the Valleycliffe Plateau as risky areas. He said proper assessments could save the community from unnecessary damages and danger."There is a lot of science involved in this, it is not a hit or miss thing," he said. "Most slides are predictable and while we can't stop rocks from falling, we can stop disasters from occurring."
Mayor Ian Sutherland said the risk of slides is not a new issue to the community and the federal government is undergoing a risk assessment, which has been underway since well before Baumann's dire warnings.
"We're looking at all the areas of concern within the community, not just the ones that he identified," said Sutherland. "The idea is to identify where the real risks are as opposed to where we think the risks might be because right now there is no real data. Frank has an opinion, but it's an opinion."
Baumann said he could identify the locations as potential landslide areas because they have experienced minor slide activity in the past. They also possess the three things necessary to cause slides: a steep enough slope (at least 30-35 degrees), loose material (what we call dirt, not solid masses like the Chief), and exposure to water (slides are more likely to happen when there has been periods of heavy rain.)
Baumann doesn't believe enough is being done to analyze local landslide dangers. He said the municipality should be monitoring trail construction in Squamish because when built on steep slopes, they concentrate water and add to the likelihood of a slide occurring. He also believes important steps need to be taken by local government to look at ways to reduce the chance of landslides such as ensuring proper drainage and stopping people from pushing loose materials off slopes.
"In Squamish I'm not aware of anyone doing an inventory of these types of risks," he said.
Sutherland said landslide risk assessments are done just like any other assessment of potential dangers to the community such as floods and fire. He added that the district does regulate trail building and ensures that water doesn't pool to cause erosion and other hazards.
Sutherland said Baumann should have gone to the district instead of going straight to the media with his fears.
Jim Lang, the Squamish Emergency Program coordinator said the question of slides in Squamish is something he and his department are aware of and are monitoring. However, when comparing slides to the danger of flood activity in Squamish, he does not see slides as that big of a threat.
"We are out there watching," he said. "But 70 per cent of our community's infrastructure is behind dams, so we need to look at what the major risks are."
He said the new emergency program facility residing in the same building as the RCMP department has helped Squamish's emergency response capabilities.
"People can't believe our facility and emergency program," he said. "In Squamish we recognize the risks and we built the facilities to deal with them."
Lang said the questions of landslides and other dangers in Squamish are an issue of mitigation.
"We know the risks, some are small, some are huge, but when it comes down to it, Squamish is better prepared than most communities," he said.
To ensure high-risk slopes are identified in B.C in the future, Baumann, who reminds us that most slopes are safe, would like to see the provincial government create an initiative similar to the current legislation involving flood risk areas.
