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West Quesnel Land Stability

A large ancient landslide underlies a significant area of West Quesnel.  Ground movement has been occurring over a long period of time.  The rate of movement has been slow, and is somewhat dependent on annual precipitation and snowmelt conditions. 

Impacts of the Ground Movement:

Impacts on homes and other structures are varied.  Some buildings have not been impacted because the slide is very deep and the ground around them moves uniformly.  Buildings in other locations have sustained significant damage, including ongoing deformation resulting in structural cracks.

Ongoing ground movement has caused slow deformation which results in broken pipes and damage to roadways.  The City has experienced frequent breaks in water and sewer pipes over the past number of years, all requiring expensive repairs.

Terasen Gas, the principal underground utility in West Quesnel, replaced its steel piping system with a flexible polyethylene piping system in 2000 at a cost of $2 million. 

Results of the West Quesnel Land Stability Program to Date:

The City of Quesnel has spent more than $1.6 million on the West Quesnel Land Stability Program as of December 2008.  A number of geotechnical and hydrogeological technologies have been used to gain an understanding of what is happening, determine the cause and establish what needs to be done to manage the movement.

The engineering work to date has provided the following key findings:

• A slow moving ancient landslide underlies part of West Quesnel; the area affected by movement has been confirmed and the boundaries of the area have been mapped.
• Movement is occurring very slowly, about 2 to 7 cm (1 to 3 inches) per year with some variation within the identified area.
• The movement is very deep, from 28 to 68 metres (100 to 300 feet) below the surface.
• Unless remedial measures are taken, movement will continue to occur.
• Reducing groundwater pressures is key to reducing movement to manageable levels.

The overall cost for the remediation program has been forecast to total approximately $13 million.  This is well beyond the financial ability of the City of Quesnel.  In 2005 the City undertook an aggressive lobbying effort to seek commitments from senior governments to provide funding for the West Quesnel Land Stability Program. 

That effort resulted in commitments from the Province of B.C. to provide $1.2 million to fund the remaining scientific analysis that was required.

In late 2007 and the spring of 2008, a trial dewatering program was initiated to determine the effects of dewatering efforts. The success of this pilot project led to the development of a full-scale dewatering proposal in 2008 and early 2009.

That proposal has been sent to senior levels of government for review and as part of an $11.7 million funding request (the City would be responsible for one-third of that cost).

As of June 2009, the City is awaiting the results of that application process.

Rationale for the West Quesnel Land Stability Program:

There is sound rationale for proceeding.  West Quesnel is a desirable place to live and essential to the future of the City of Quesnel. The benefits to be achieved include:

• Restoring equity values and liquidity for the 750 homeowners in West Quesnel. This will enable and encourage investment for upgrading and improvements and discretionary spending and add further value by stimulating economic activity. 
• As the City population grows in future, the servicing infrastructure that is in place in West Quesnel will be available to service the nearly 200 infill properties. This will utilize the economic value of these assets, without the need for new subdivision development. 
• Successful remediation will alleviate both economic and psychological stress and will result in reduced impacts and less expense for health care and other social services.

The West Quesnel Land Stability Program continues to be of highest priority for the City, which is committed to an ongoing program to stabilize the area.

The West Quesnel situation is not unique in the province.  Other B.C. communities have faced similar challenges with land movement and have been successful in slowing the movement to manageable levels.  The solutions are expensive, however, and therefore the City is making a careful assessment of the merits of remediation options in order to choose those that will produce the best results.

Overview and Background

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Detailed Technical Information

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Land Stability Study Area Map

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History

The initial development of the West Quesnel area occurred under provincial jurisdiction with subdivision approvals granted by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways.

The area was amalgamated into the Town of Quesnel and later the City of Quesnel starting with a small area in 1955.  Additional areas were incorporated into the municipality in several increments.  The most substantial amalgamations occurred in 1970 and 1975.

A large portion of the residential development occurred in a sustained growth period during the 1970s.  Voyageur Elementary School was built in 1974.

West Quesnel has been the subject of a number of engineering investigations.  Initial work done by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways in 1973 did not specifically address the area nor indicate a ground movement concern.  Subsequent studies in the 1990s were inconclusive.  Ground movement in West Quesnel was first conclusively proven in engineering work commissioned by the City in 2000-2002. 

In 2003-2005 the City commissioned additional geotechnical and hydro-geotechnical work to outline the boundaries of the area impacted, the extent of movement and to provide guidance on remediation strategies. 

The 2006 Work Plan was developed to expand on the knowledge gained in past years in order to ensure that the proposed mitigation measures were properly designed to achieve the best possible results for the money invested. 

The completion of that work plan led to the development of a trial dewatering program, conducted in late 2007 and the spring of 2008.

The results of the trial dewatering program led to the design of a full-scale dewatering program in late 2008 and early 2009.

The West Quesnel Land Stability Program continues to be the highest priority for the City. The City is committed to implementing appropriate solutions.

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