Skip to content

Chilcotin River landslide still holding back water Monday morning Aug. 5

The lake is still there, said rancher Ken Ilnicki early Monday morning, Aug. 5

As of 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5 the water is still there above the Chilcotin River landslide that blocked the river sometime between July 30 and 31. 

Ken Ilnicki of Ilnicki Ranch where the slide is located was out checking the status of the slide first thing Monday morning.  

"It must be close," he said. "Just going to take a closer look." 

When he got back he sent some photographs to Black Press Media.

"Maybe not even today," he texted. 

On Sunday, Aug. 4, a provincial update suggested the water could begin overflowing the slide debris or natural dam at some point late Sunday or early Monday. 

Ralph Myers of Yunesit'in First Nation, one of the Tsilhqot'in communities located upstream from the slide, has been viewing the slide from the south side - across from the Ilnicki Ranch and sent a photograph to Black Press Media Sunday evening.

Comparing the 'lake' size to previous days, he described it as much wider. 

In a post on the Tsihlqot'in National Government Facebook site, the lake was described to be holding back 61 cubic million meters of water by Sunday morning, Aug. 4. 

Laste Sunday evening the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre issued evacuation orders for areas south of the slide zone.

Nine parcels near the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers and two parcels near the Churn Creek Bridge area under the orders due to danger of life from flooding. 

On Sunday afternoon, the province announced it has launched a public information portal about the slide. 

Information will be uploaded there as soon as it becomes available. 

More to come

Breaking News You Need To Know

Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.

Sign Up with google Sign Up with facebook

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Reset your password

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox.



Don't have an account? Click here to sign up


Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
Read more