The debris flow that occurred Thursday over Keithley Creek Road at Cariboo Lake near the town of Likely was the result of water being released from a lake above the debris site, the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) stated in a press release issued Friday afternoon.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure expects to have the road open to single lane traffic this evening.
The CRD say they have been advised that there are no records of any man-made structures being built in that area and there is confirmed evidence to support the loss of water from the lakes being the result of a beaver dam failure.
There is also a history of a similar event occurring at this same site approximately ten years ago – also due to a beaver dam failure.
BC Hydro and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are on site. BC Hydro had to make the site safe for large equipment to start moving the debris material that is 3metres deep in places and spans a distance of up to 100 meters along the Keithley Creek Road.
The RCMP were in the community isolated on the far side of the slide and the residents are well supplied and able to manage on their own for the next few days.
One home had been impacted by the flow, with the residents having safely escaped and reported as being in a boat on Cariboo Lake.
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