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THE INTERIOR NEWS 105th th Year - Week 28
Smithers,, B.C.
Wednesday, y, Julyy 11,, 2012
www.interior-news.com
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Dam fails B.C. safety code By Andrew Hudson
MOOT SUCCESS Michael Dieleman, of Quick, impressed on the international stage
OUR TOWN/A5
INSIDE OUR TOWN A5 LETTERS A7 SPORTS A13 COMMUNITY A8 THREE RIVERS B1 CLASSIFIEDS B7
FEATURES HANDS & LANDS A15
WEATHER Wednesday HIGH: 17 LOW: 9
Thursday HIGH: 17 LOW: 8
Friday HIGH: 17 LOW: 8
Saturday HIGH: 20 LOW: 7
Sunday HIGH: 19 LOW: 7
Smithers/Interior News
People who fish, swim, or camp at Irrigation Lake are asked to speak up and save it before the province pulls the plug on its dam. Located just off Highway 16, 50 km south of Smithers, the lake has three summer camps along its shore and is a popular spot for ice fishing. But, built before 1947, an earthen dam at the lake’s south end no longer meets B.C. safety standards. Chelton van Geloven, dam safety officer for the Skeena region, says the dam is unlikely to break. But it does need an upgrade soon or the province will have to remove it, dropping the lake level by two metres. “It seems like this dam was particularly well made,” van Geloven said. “There’s lots and lots of rock on it. Water has flown over the top and we haven’t seen very much erosion.” “But, enough water could cause it to erode and fail.” In 2010, a wall of mud destroyed five homes and several orchards near Oliver, B.C. after a privately owned dam built in the 1930s suddenly failed and released twothirds of a nearby reservoir. Soon after, the B.C. government ordered a review of every dam in the province. Van Geloven said that’s when the dam was found to be non-compliant. “We’ve definitely kept it safe since then,” he said, noting that he and a neighbouring landowner now monitor the dam’s floodgate. But with no spillway and less than a metre between the lake and the top of the dam, van Geloven said someone has to take action. Complicating matters is the fact no one owns the dam at Irrigation Lake, although it does stand on former Crown land given to the nearby District of Houston as a recreation site. If the dam is removed, it will likely cause problems for fish in the lake. “It’s a very popular fishery,” says Paddy Hirschfield, a biologist with the Smithers office of B.C.’s natural resources ministry. Irrigation Lake is restocked with cutthroat trout every two years, he said, and the dam acts as a barrier to keep them out of surrounding waterways. “If we stock fish that can breed and mix with native fisheries, then we’re promoting genetic dilution, and that’s something we very much don’t want to do.” See DAM on p. A4
CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE Loki Loki and his son Angelo, 3, were joined by Smithereens of all stripes on Sunday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of South Sudan. Percy N. Hébert photo
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