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Landslide continues to block Chilcotin River Sunday morning, Aug.4

'It's still holding,' said Ken Ilnicki of Ilnicki Ranch

Early Sunday morning, Aug. 4, Riske Creek rancher Ken Ilnicki was out doing what he has been doing since July 31, checking on the status of the landslide on the Chilcotin River below his ranch. 

"It is still holding. It has a way to go yet," he texted with some photographs he sent to Black Press Media. "Maybe later today?" 

An update from Emergency Management B.C. issued Saturday evening stated it is still uncertain when and how the water pooling behind the dam will re-enter the Chilcotin River, but it could occur at any time. The Province is actively monitoring the situation 24/7 and will continue to share the latest information with the public as it becomes available.

The slide is now estimated to be 1,000 metres long, 100 metres in width and 30 metres deep. 

Experts on the ground have noted the water rising in the lake behind the slide at a rate of roughly 22 centimetres per hour, which is a slight decrease from the first couple of days following the landslide.

Historically, on this day in 2014, the Mount Polley Mine tailings impoundment breached. 

In that event, about 17 million cubic meters of water and eight million cubic metres of tailings/materials ended up in Quesnel Lake.  

An evacuation order remains in place for properties close to the river and the slide zone.

With a file from Lauren Collins 

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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.
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