This week’s rock slide on Seymour River has created an entirely new lake.
“It’s blocked the channel. The whole character of that area has changed,” says Bob Cavill, Manager of Metro Vancouver Watershed Division.
“The area is ponded, it’s wider and deeper than it ever was before.”
READ MORE: North Vancouver rockslide causes public safety risks and trail closures
The rock slides and subsequent erosion have caused the river to both widen and rise significantly around Twin Bridges. It now has a depth of six metres at its deepest point.
“The channel now is stable. In terms of flooding, we’re not concerned…but it’s flooded significant areas of forest,” says Cavill.
Trails leading to Twin Bridges have been blocked and pictures show water rising almost to the level of the bridge.
Cavill says the bridge railing has already been removed and the rest will be removed when weather conditions are ideal.
“If it got any deeper or woody debris backed up behind that bridge, it might actually float off its foundations.” – John Clague, an SFU Environmental Sciences Professor.
People have been documenting the end of the bridge on social media.
“The blockage in the river includes some huge rocks, the size of a standard house. They probably can’t be moved.”
Clague says there’s no danger of the lake breaching the dam, but the long-term problem will be the trees that were once on solid land, and now are partially submerged.
“The trees eventually will collapse into this lake and clog it with tree stems…they’re going to have to go in and remove them, cut them down so they don’t collapse into this lake.”
WATCH: In North Vancouver people living along the Seymour River are keeping a wary eye on the rising water. Catherine Urquhart reports.