Advertisement

Multi-million Vancouver homes threatened by leaking aquifer

Click to play video: 'Evacuation alert issued for two homes in Vancouver’s Westside'
Evacuation alert issued for two homes in Vancouver’s Westside
ABOVE: An evacuation alert has been issued for two homes in Vancouver's Westside, and a dozen more could soon be at risk. Ted Chernecki explains – Mar 10, 2016

A dozen multi-million homes in Southwest Vancouver are being threatened by a leaking aquifer.

It started back in September when an unlicensed drilling company tapped into the underground water supply. Since then, millions of litres a day has been flowing out of the ground on Beechwood Street near West 54 Avenue.

The water is eroding the soil and creating the risk of a sinkhole.

The homeowners are on evacuation alert.

“It’s like washing a cavern, underground, around that hole, and that’s what effectively, after a while, it gets so big that it comes near the surface,” said Henry Neugebauer, a retired geologist. “It might be a few feet below the surface and all of a sudden it just collapses.”

“That’s the sinkhole.”

Story continues below advertisement

 

 

Sponsored content

AdChoices