Heavy rainfall — not tree removal — was the main factor in a landslide that closed Arbutus Cove beach in late December, Saanich’s director of engineering Harley Machielse said Thursday.
Saanich had taken the property owner to court in 2017 after he cut down protected trees, but the district does not have any evidence the tree removal was a contributing factor to the slope failure, Machielse said. “We completed an initial assessment of the slope failure, which indicated the prolonged and significant rainfall was the primary contributing factor. The area is located on a steep bluff with underlying soil conditions that once saturated are prone to periodic failures,” said Machielse.
The best practice for any steep area is to ensure vegetation is maintained, drainage is controlled and structures are not built at the crest of the slope, said Machielse. These measures can improve stability conditions, but they do not remove the potential for slope failures entirely.
Machielse confirmed the slope failure took place on the Arbutus Road property of Jan Visser Van Ijzendoorn, who was fined $10,000 for cutting down the trees.
The access to the beach will remain closed until the district is confident the beach area can be safely accessed, he said.
“We will reassess the area in two weeks to determine if it’s appropriate to reopen the beach access points at the time.”
No one was hurt in the slide.
The district will be working with the property owner to hire a professional to further assess the slope and recommend preventive and remedial measures that can be completed in the short and long term, said Machielse.
