Fixing up Nanaimo’s Colliery Dams could cost up to $8.1 million. That’s according to a new report released by the City, following an extensive assessment by Golder Associates, the engineers hired by the Technical Committee.
While Golder confirmed there’s an extremely low chance the dams would rupture and pose a public risk during an earthquake, heavy rain is still a concern.
Toby Seward, Nanaimo’s Director of Social and Protective Services, says the report outlines several options to deal with concerns that a major storm could overwhelm the dam’s current spillway.
Seward says the two main remediation options are to increase the size of the spillway, or reinforce the top of the dam so the embankment doesn’t erode if water flows overtop for an extended period of time.
Council will receive the report for information on Monday, July 14 and a public information meeting is planned for July 22 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
Final decisions on what route to take won’t be made until the fall. The report says the committee’s goal is to start construction in the summer of 2015.
