Brent Richter/Staff Writer
Members of the Ocean Beach Esplanade stewardship advisory committee (OBESAC) said the risk of landslides around the Esplanade and the areas nearby is too great to ignore, and a short-term solution must be found.
Larry Gillstrom, OBESAC chair, made a presentation to the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) planning and development committee last Thursday, asking for help to resolve the issue.
"Our committee felt it was our responsibility to inform the board that this flood issue may actually have a risk of human injury and possible death if a resulting disaster does occur," Gillstrom said.
According to OBESAC's report, the Esplanade is at greater risk of landslides now due to improper drainage routes around the houses above the road and in the Woodcreek Park subdivision. In the winter of 2005, melting snow and rain triggered a slide that slammed into a house in the Esplanade.
Gillstrom described this past January's snowmelt and rain as a "close call" for the Esplanade. His presentation also pointed to areas around 15th Street and Gower Point Road where water was continually eroding the soil beneath the road, causing damage. In January a massive landslide occurred at the foot of 15th street, causing close to one acre of topsoil to slide down to the beach. The area remains dangerous to walk in.
In June 2006, the engineering consulting firm Delcan identified drainage problems that are undermining the topsoil around the Esplanade and proposed a solution.
Gillstrom said Delcan's proposal is "over-engineered" and "prohibitively expensive."
Delcan's proposal calls for a comprehensive re-routing of current drainage routes into local out-flowing streams.
Gillstrom said the committee's plans could be completed at about 10 to 20 per cent of the cost of Delcan's solution by simply changing a few culvert directions the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) changed after the subdivision was built.
"Anyone who has been there can see that there's a very simple solution and that's just to change things back to the way they were before 2004," he said.
SCRD directors were alarmed by Gillstrom's presentation and echoed his sense of urgency.
West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull said she was very concerned about the problem, but pointed out to Gillstrom that roads and drainage are the jurisdiction of MOTI.
Gillstrom said because of OBESAC's terms of reference, the committee may only appeal directly to the SCRD.
OBESAC did win some small victories at Thursday's meeting. The board resolved to have staff arrange a meeting with MOTI and possibly Delcan to review OBESAC's short-term proposals. The board also voted to extend OBESAC's mandate, set to expire in April, by two years. The SCRD will put out a call for volunteers for the renewed committee in April.
Gillstrom is quick to point out the OBESAC in no way holds the residents of Woodcreek Park responsible for the problem.
"We do not advocate blaming any property development by local residents as the cause of any of these problems. Our goal is to educate residents about how to be responsible when developing property, disposing of waste, improving views, driving or parking on the Esplanade or using the beach," he said. "What's urgently needed now is to get past the studies and the finger pointing and get some action on fixing the dangerous situation."
