When Si:yá:m Kenneth Jones, a councillor with the Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation near Hope, B.C., woke up on Wednesday, he says he saw several football fields worth of branches, logs and roots floating in the Fraser River.
The woody debris was dislodged after a landslide last week blocked the Chilcotin River near Farwell Canyon, about 285 kilometres north of Vancouver.
When a lake of backed-up river water spilled over the slide, it sent a turbulent pulse of water and debris hundreds of kilometres downstream into the Fraser River — some of which was caught by a debris trap co-managed by the nation, about 12 kilometres downstream from Hope.
“It was a feeling of success,” Jones said, “like we did our part in preventing debris going past us.”
The flooding from the landslide was less severe than the province’s projected worst-case scenario — according to the provincial health authority. No injuries from the flood spill have been reported. But the surge damaged significant Indigenous cultural sites along the riverbanks, putting a vulnerable salmon run at risk. Now, riverside communities are starting to repair.
For Jones, that means clearing more than 30,000 cubic metres of woody bits out of the trap co-managed by his nation and the provincial government.
The trap, a series of floating booms near a narrow bend in the Fraser River, intercepts about 100,000 cubic metres of debris each year, according to the province. It was constructed in 1979 to prevent woody matter carried by the spring melt from smashing into ferries, docks and ports downstream.
When the nation heard the flood was sending a pulse of debris its way, Jones said it jumped into action. Joined by a local diving crew, members headed onto the water to ensure the booms were ready for what was coming.
“I was [surprised] by the amount of debris that actually came down,” he said, adding he’s never seen that much build-up overnight.
Cultural sites destroyed
Communities upstream saw some damage from the pulse of debris. Brittany Cleminson, an archaeologist and CEO of Sugar Cane Archaeology, told Daybreak Kamloops she and Chief Willie Sellars of the Williams Lake First Nation flew over the flood to survey it.
Cleminson said several Secwepemc village sites were along the Chilcotin River banks where the flooding took place. She said the flood washed over several well-documented historical house pits, cache pits and burial sites.
“When you start hearing about who we are and where we come from and the significance of these village sites along the Chilcotin River, you can’t help but get emotional about that,” Sellars said.
Footage shared by Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars shows the aftermath of a landslide in the B.C. Interior that has blocked a major river tributary, prompting evacuations and flood warnings.
According to an update from the province, the flood destabilized riverbanks, and there remains a risk of further landslides along the Chilcotin River. That means it’s not yet safe for Cleminson and geologists to survey the damaged riverbanks from the ground.
Cleminson said there’s still much work to do in order to understand the full extent of the damage — work that Sellars is looking forward to.
“It’s emotional, but it’s exciting too,” Sellars said. “When we get out there with our elders, and we get those village sites pointed out … It fills your heart and fills your soul that oral history and storytelling is still happening to this day.”
Challenges to the Chilko Lake salmon run
Sellars said the flood is expected to affect a salmon run on the Chilcotin River — an integral food source for his community. He’s committed to securing 1,000 sockeye to help feed members of the First Nation over the winter.
In early August, sockeye salmon pass through Farwell Canyon — the site of the landslide — on their way to Chilko Lake to spawn.
First Nations along the river rely on the salmon run as a source of food — some fill their freezers with sockeye to last until spring.
At a news conference Monday, Chief Joe Alphonse, the chair of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, called on all levels of government to protect sockeye and chinook salmon.
Jason Hwang from the Pacific Salmon Foundation says the landslide is a “major setback” for fish that have had to endure a lot in recent years, from a landslide at Big Bar to warming water caused by climate change.
He’s suggested measures, including a ban on sport and commercial salmon fishing.
In an email to CBC News, Alexandra Coutts, a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said it’s still not clear what the effect will be on salmon migration.
She said some sockeye and chinook had already reached Chilko Lake, but the majority had their migration interrupted by the slide.
She said most of the adult sockeye are expected to arrive where the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers meet in the third week of August.
“Salmon below the slide site will have experienced warm river temperatures and sediments moving in the Fraser River,” Coutts said. “Some of them may seek refuge habitats until conditions in the river improve for their migration to the slide site.”
Effects not over yet
According to an update from the province Thursday afternoon, flows on the Chilcotin River are relatively stable once again.
The pulse of water reached the ocean — but waters on the Fraser River are expected to be turbulent in the coming days.
The effects of the surge are unfolding downstream.
At the Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation near Hope, Jones said the Fraser River is still running a darker brown than usual.
He’s hoping the trap caught the worst of the debris. As of Friday, Jones said it looked about two-thirds full. Now, he said, comes the two-week process of excavating the debris and trucking it away.
“It was a test, and we’re grateful with the results,” he said. “I’m just glad to help out all the down-river communities.”