Resources for Old Fort Residents

The PRRD requested commentary from geotechnical professionals responsible for monitoring and evaluating the Old Fort Road and slide, surrounding crown lands and the community. Tetra Tech, on behalf of PRRD, for the Old Fort community is of the opinion at this time that the risk to the community posed by recent Old Fort slide movements is low. When slide movements occur, they are generally directed away from the community. East or southeast components of the movements are typically smaller-scale and slower-moving. No reactivation of the West Slide mass has been observed.

Fresh onset of movement is difficult to predict and circumstances can change quickly, depending on external factors such as water ingress, changed groundwater flow patterns, weather, anthropogenic processes, etc. Despite this, should renewed movements occur, and should such movements pose a risk to the community, sufficient time to evacuate or respond would be available, provided that ongoing slide monitoring systems remain active and regularly monitored, and provided that alert/alarm notifications are distributed to us and the Regional District.

View the full report from TetraTech

Currently the instrumentation is showing negligible movement for all parts of the slide and the road is safe for public use. The ravelling that is occurring on the steep scarp beside the ridge will continue but any failure there would not be able to make it down to the road. It will land on the top part of the flow part of the slide. The only thing that the road will do in the future is move towards the river if the flow part of the slide re-activates the same way it has done for the last two episodes. It is near impossible to predict when the slide will start moving again, but the instrumentation is there and will continue to be monitored. There is nothing to indicate anything catastrophic would happen to the road.

Until further notice, and at the resolution of the Regional Board, the PRRD will consider, but is likely to reject or defer any application applications for Development Variance Permits, Temporary Use Permits, Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw Amendments and Zoning Bylaw Amendments for lands within the Geohazard Study Area, located approximately 5 kilometers south of Fort St. John near the community of Old Fort, BC. These measures will remain in place until MoTI has completed all geotechnical studies of Old Fort Road, and made a final determination on the long-term plan for the road as it relates to sustainable access.

View the full report from MoTI concerning Old Fort Road Options

Ongoing monitoring of the eastern landslide complex continues to show negligible displacement. Ravelling of the upper scarps will likely be restricted to the upper part of the earth flow, and movement of the main slide is generally directed away from the community. Should the earthflow reactivate, peak movement is not expected to be greater than 3 to 4 meters per hour.