Residents of Lillooet Lake Estates are inching closer to protection from landslides after decades of work.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has revealed an updated budget and final design for a debris flow mitigation project on Catiline Creek, alongside plans to offset habitat loss from construction.
The project will see approximately 900 metres of Catiline Creek widened and deepened to allow debris from Twin Goat Mountain to flow more precisely through the estates towards Lillooet Lake. It will also install 970 metres of training berms and a diversion channel near the top of the creek.
The funding also covers the construction of a replacement FSR bridge.
Residents of Lillooet Lake Estates, southeast of Pemberton, have been repeatedly threatened by major debris flow events originating from Twin Goat Mountain. Past flows have resulted in damage to the community, evacuation notices and ongoing stress to residents.
SLRD Area D Director Tony Rainbow recalled particularly devastating flows in the early 2010s during the board’s Nov. 27 meeting.
“At that time, this community was in danger of just disappearing,” said Rainbow. “An awful lot of work has gone into this and a lot of consultation to get us to this point and I think we just absolutely have to continue with it.”
The SLRD has approved just under $11.7 million for the design and implementation of the project.
Not covered in the new budget are the annual operations and maintenance costs, estimated at $30,000, or the yearly loan costs, estimated at $255,500.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada also requires the SLRD prepare an offsite project to offset the loss of riparian habitat due to the widening of Catiline Creek. The SLRD is working with the Lil'wat Nation to identify an area.
The offset’s design will be covered by the board’s mitigation budget. Implementation, estimated at nearly $1.3 million, will be undertaken as a future separate project once schedule, cost, and funding sources are established.
“We haven’t identified the location for the project, or the requirements for it yet,” said project manager Mike Strain. “Part of those requirements will come after the Catiline Creek project works are done and it's determined how much impact has happened in that project.”
Construction is expected to start on the project in fall 2025 and last until winter of 2026.
