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Cowichan Lake weir not a big concern in the event of an earthquake

letter from Catalyst Paper corporate safety coordinator

If an earthquake were to affect the Cowichan Lake area, the weir wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

This is the telling of an inquiry the Town of Lake Cowichan’s elected officials looked into, while considering earthquake preparedness measures.

During the town’s Tuesday, October 18, committee meeting, mayor and council reviewed the issue again, having received a letter from Catalyst Paper corporate safety coordinator Andrew Brooks.

“Based on the age of the weir, it is safe to say it was not built to current earthquake standards,” the letter reads.

“However, during winter months the weir gates and boat lock are left wide open and do not restrict river flow, and therefore the seismic damage to the weir would have zero impact on river levels.”

“If such an incident occurred during summer months when the weir is in operation, the damage may create a water surge, however this would not approach normal winter river flows based on the reserve volume of water maintained by the weir.”

Satisfied with the contents of the letter, mayor and council moved to thank both Brooks and CVRD manager of public safety for looking into the issue on the town’s behalf.