Effectiveness of Wet Weather Shutdown Guidelines in Landslide-Prone Terrain during Construction of a Hydroelectric Facility near Squamish, BC

J Clarke

In the proceedings of: GeoVancouver 2016: 69th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: GEOHAZARDS - III Climate Change Floods & Landslides

ABSTRACT: Wet weather shutdown guidelines were adopted and implemented during the construction of a run-of-river hydroelectric power project, located near Squamish, British Columbia (BC). The shutdown guidelines for the project were derived from the BC Timber Sales shutdown guidelines for the Chinook Business Area for use in areas previously assessed as having a high landslide hazard. Project construction spanned two winter seasons over a 16 month period, and use of the guidelines resulted in the successful shutdown of the site during an approximate 3000 m3 debris flow as well as multiple road-related and cutslope failures. Although the guidelines were effective at safely shutting down the site at the time of failures, they resulted in frequent shutdowns during periods of wet weather which represented potential economic losses during construction. Using on-site meteorological data and landslide observations from the construction phase, this paper will summarize conditions at the time of failures and will compare these conditions to the wet weather shutdown guidelines to determine their effectiveness.

RÉSUMÉ: Les directives de fermeture météorologiques lors de précipitations ont été adoptées et exécutées pendant la construction -Britannique. Elles ont été adoptées par BC Timber Sales affaires) pour l'utilisation dans les régions évaluées ayant de hauts risques d'écoulements de débris et de glissements de terrain. La construction du projet s'est étendue sur deux saisons d'hiver au cours d'une période de 16 mois, et l'utilisation des directives a entraîné une fermeture réussie du site pendant un écoulement de débris 3, ainsi que de nombreuses défaillances reliées aux routes et aux pentes de celles-ci. Bien que les directives aient été efficaces pour fermer le site en toute sécurité au moment des défaillances, elles ont donné lieu à des arrêts fréquents lors de précipitations, qui représentaient des pertes économiques potentielles pendant la construction. En utilisant des données météorologiques et des observations de glissements de terrain de la phase construction, ce document résumera les conditions au moment des défaillances et comparera ces conditions aux directives de fermeture météorologiques lors de précipitations afin de déterminer leur efficacité.

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Cite this article:
J Clarke (2016) Effectiveness of Wet Weather Shutdown Guidelines in Landslide-Prone Terrain during Construction of a Hydroelectric Facility near Squamish, BC in GEO2016. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{4014_0722090815,author = J Clarke,title = Effectiveness of Wet Weather Shutdown Guidelines in Landslide-Prone Terrain during Construction of a Hydroelectric Facility near Squamish, BC,year = 2016}