FORT ST. JOHN – As part of the Site C project schedule, work has been underway for the past 19 months to remove unstable soil to create stable slopes for eventual dam construction.

During the construction of a haul road to support this excavation work, a tension crack has appeared. Tension cracks are not unexpected in this area; however, this particular crack requires attention due to its significant 400-metre length.

BC Hydro and its contractor have installed instruments to measure and monitor stability around the tension crack.

The project's independent engineer and technical experts in slope stability are assessing the tension crack. While this assessment is underway, 30 road construction workers have been reassigned to other work. There are more than 1500 workers in total on the construction site.

While there was some initial movement of soil, it has now stabilized. This area of unstable soil was already slated to be removed as part of engineering new stable banks for dam construction. BC Hydro's next step is to determine how to continue soil removal, which will need to be undertaken carefully to maintain the stability of the slope.

BC Hydro treats site safety and the environmental conditions with the utmost importance. During the environmental assessment process, Natural Resources Canada concluded that BC Hydro had adopted best practices related to slope stability for the project. The BC Environmental Assessment Office has been informed of this development and BC Hydro's planned response.

Contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
p. 604 928 6468