By Canadian Press

Indigenous nation closes B.C.’s Chilcotin River bridge, citing riverbank cracks

Aug 9, 2024 | 3:41 PM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — A bridge over British Columbia’s Chilcotin River is closed to traffic until further notice after new cracks were discovered near a massive landslide that had blocked the river for days before a breach sent torrents of water and debris downstream.

The Tsilhqot’in National Government posted notice on social media today, saying the bridge at Farwell Canyon south of Williams Lake is closed due to concerns for public safety.

Chief Joe Alphonse, Tsilhqot’in National Government tribal chair, and Nathan Cullen, B.C.’s water, land and resource stewardship minister, said Thursday there were concerns about future slides and unstable banks along the river near the landslide site.

The landslide dammed the Chilcotin River last week before breaking free on Monday, sending raging water, trees and debris downstream into the connecting Fraser River, which flows through the Lower Mainland to Georgia Strait.

The Tsilhqot’in National Government says security officials are stationed at the Farwell Canyon Bridge.

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The First Nation, B.C. government and Fisheries Department officials say they are trying to assess the slide’s potential impact on migrating salmon, but the area remains too unstable at the moment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press