Warnings about B.C. dam date back decades: report

Government warnings were issued for decades to the owners of a dam that burst last month in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley, causing a massive landslide that caused millions of dollars in damages.

But an investigation into the slide found no indication the repairs were ever done, says a report released Wednesday.

When the dam let loose on June 13 it set off a five-kilometre long torrent of mud and debris, wiping out five homes and a large swath of agricultural area in Oliver, B.C.

In Pictures: B.C. landslide

The government admits in the report that its record keeping on the dam was poor.

The first of 12 recommendations to emerge from the investigation suggests the Ministry of Environment review its record keeping practices on the thousands of dams in the province.

"It's difficult to compile a comprehensive history of the Testalinden Dam without complete records," the report says. "But there was sufficient evidence to see a consistent pattern of concerns and warnings about the state of the structure dating back to the 1960s."

The dam breached at 2:15 p.m., and incredibly nobody was killed in the slide. Witnesses say the roar of the mud wall rolling down the hillside gave enough of a warning to allow them to get out without injury.

In Pictures: Landslide cleanup

The dam was built in the 1930s, and the investigation found that it burst after heavy rains drenched the normally arid area for many days.

A hiker had warned RCMP about the condition of the dam shortly before the breach but the warning went nowhere.

Records are so poor that the Environment Ministry wasn't sure on a date when the current owner acquired the rights to the dam.

"Transfer of the license and responsibility of the Testalinden Dam to its current owner effectively occurred between 1981 and 1987," the report says.

The owner was responsible for upkeep, but the report said there's no indication that numerous safety warnings were acted on over the years, or that the government followed up on the repairs.

In July 1988 an inspection found that the structure was in a very poor state of repair.

"The dam has reached the end of its lifespan and should be replaced by a new one," the report quotes from an inspector's assessment at that time.

Another recommendation is that the Environment Ministry review historical warnings about the conditions of the dam and any actions taken to hold the owner responsible for inspection and maintenance.

Public Safety Minister Mike de Jong said after the report was released that he was concerned that the work on the dam apparently wasn't done, and is equally concerned for other dams in the province.

"In this case it led to a disaster. It's a miracle there wasn't loss of life or injury, but there has been significant property damage."

The report also recommended that the Environment Ministry review historical warnings about the conditions of the dam and any actions taken to hold the owner responsible for inspection and maintenance.

The ministry has already launched a rapid assessment program of the thousands of dams around the province, and de Jong said the government will move ahead immediately to create a risk-rating system for every dam.

"This has been a real wake-up. You know these dams need to be managed and public safety needs to be the paramount consideration."

He said the fact that the repairs weren't done was "unacceptable," and that's why the government is moving to make sure there's a system in place from now on that makes sure the infrastructure is properly managed.

One of the final recommendations in the report is that the Environment Ministry should ensure consistent oversight and regulation of all water-related structures, including licensing, standards and risk assessments.

"The events leading up to the failure of the Testalinden Dam indicate that more could have been done to avert the disaster caused by the debris torrent and mudslide on June 13, 2010," the report concluded.