Headgates Dam retrofit plan. (submitted photo/Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.)

By Kevin Rothwell

Alarms in place

Headgates Dam work ‘urgent,’ RDNO seeks grant

Jan 7, 2021 | 11:49 AM

Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) will make haste on an application to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for a $2.6 million infrastructure grant for the construction of the “Headgates Spillway Improvement Project.”

Dam Safety B.C. has the earthworks dam listed as a high risk. The spillway was nearly breached twice in 2013 and again in 2017, resulting in evacuation alerts.

“Is this something like the Lynne Valley dam that broke and killed two people? Should we have some type of alarm?” Electoral Area C Director Amanda Shatzko asked.

A similar type dam burst in North Vancouver in October last year, sending a torrent of water down on homes. Two lives were lost, and dozens of homes damaged.

“We have alarms. It’s completely rigged, so in 2017 our operators were on site within a half hour. We have procedures in place for this,” Zee Marcolin, Manager of Utilities, said. “If water levels reach a certain height, the alarms trigger and we place personnel there 24 hours a day. This has happened on several occasions.”

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It is also a key part of the Duteau Creek Water System, one of the main water supplies for Greater Vernon.

Staff indicate the dam had a historical danger rating of signficant, and got an assessment by the design consultants, confirming that significant was still appropriate. Dam Safety would not accept the assessment and indicate significant further study was required.

“It has been in the works for too long. We know the spillway is undersized, we have already had two incidents,” Marcolin said. “We have had a lot of roadblocks, from permitting to bad consultants, and then when we were ready to go, Dam Safety changed the rating.”

The high rating could increase the cost of work from $1.2 million to potentially over $5 million based on an worst case scenario estimate provided by consultant, Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Geotechnical investigations are being completed to provide information required to complete the final design and update the cost.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee (GVAC), also recommends $510,000 in Greater Vernon Water general revenue funding and $2,090,000 in reserve funding be committed within the 2021 water budget to fund the Regional District of North Okanagan’s share of the project costs.

If funding is approved, work would start in fall 2021.