A significant landslide has made Sugar Lake Forest Service Road impassable around kilometre 48 severing access to the Greenbush Lake Protected Area and rec site.
The road, licensed by Tolko, will be closed for the foreseeable future while the slide and damage are assessed by Tolko and Forest Ministry geotechnical experts.
“There is a group of people working at Monashee Lodge, but they have contingency plans to evacuate if necessary,” a ministry spokesperson said.
The slide was news to Regional District of North Okanagan Director Hank Cameron who represents the Cherryville area, but it was not all that surprising.
“Last year there was a debris flow at kilometre 48 that took out 500 metres,” Cameron said. “The eroded gully material was deposited into the Shuswap River.”
A ministry spokesperson said the stream channel is known to be naturally unstable upstream from the road.
The flow came from above the road and damaged it, the spokesperson said. The road did not cause the debris flow.
READ MORE: Landslide worries prompt request for logging moratorium at Shuswap’s Bastion Creek
READ MORE: Tolko walks back plans for cutblock above Greater Vernon water source
@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
