The impact of the McDougall Creek wildfire will continue to be felt by Westside residents for years to come.
The environmental degradation caused by the blaze can pose numerous problems, from landslides to flooding, that homeowners may have to face, beginning next spring.
Clarke Geoscience Ltd. has been retained by the BC Wildfire Service to carry out a post-wildfire environment impact analysis and suggest potential mitigation factors involving several jurisdictions 鈥� City of West 琉璃神社, Westbank First Nation (WFN), Regional District of Central Okanagan and provincial Crown land 鈥� impacted by the McDougall Creek wildfire.
Jennifer Clarke, a professional geoscientist and owner of Clarke Geoscience, has been retained to carry out the study, which will look both at the post-fire hydrology and terrain stability impact on Westside slopes.
Clarke has been actively involved with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, as past chair of the Division of Engineers and Geoscientists in the Resource Sector, and has hosted numerous technical field tours with the South Okanagan.
Her analysis will incorporate mapping and imagery efforts to map out the topography and landscape of the affected areas, aided by helicopter reconnaissance overviews to ensure adequate ground cover assessment, shine a light on the potential hazards the fire has already left on the soil, assess the future risks from the inventory of infrastructure elements such as bridges, water intakes and culverts, and how to mitigate those risks.
Clarke said the analysis does not break down to individual properties, but does give both those who saw their homes saved and those looking to rebuild a risk rating for their neighbourhood areas.
鈥淓very property is different but this does provide a broad risk rating for an area that property owners can relate to. If someone is rebuilding you have to look at the impact of the fire so this saves you a step in that process,鈥� Clarke said.
鈥淚t is information they can go by in moving forward.鈥�
As it will for local civic governments and the WFN for infrastructure damage potential and options to mitigate those issues.
She said changes to the vegetation cover on a given slope can lead to less of an ability to control and absorb rainfall runoff, and the ability for water to infiltrate into the ground.
Combined with tree roots burned out by the fire can lead to increased potential for erosion, which is a template for potential landslide and flooding issues.
鈥淚f you look at the West 琉璃神社 slopes, you see some of the areas that burned where the trees are still green, while other trees are burned yellow or black. That indicates the severity of the heat generated during the fire and where the impact areas,鈥� she said.
She said extreme weather conditions becoming increasingly prevalent in the Okanagan have heightened interest in the turnaround of her analysis, which she expects to be done by the end of this year.
鈥淚t is on a pretty accelerated schedule as much as possible but within fairly standard deliverable guidelines鈥 know everyone is anxious to get this,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t is important because of (climate change) to understand what types of rainfall intensity will trigger water flows or other hazards, and develop early warning systems to off-set factors such as extreme rain.
Clarke, who carried out a similar post-fire environment assessment in the aftermath of the White Rock Lake wildfire in 2021, said post-fire hazards can endure for several years after a fire.
鈥淲indfall of trees is one of the most obvious hazards we see in areas that have been burned out,鈥� she said.
For individual property owners, Clarke advises to watch for changes in water runoff both onto and off their property, changes in water quality, make sure culverts remain clear under driveways, clear out drainages and make sure drainage diversions have not been created by shifting soil, and to monitor and watch for any water flow changes after significant storm events.
READ MORE: 51 days of fire that gripped the Central Okanagan
READ MORE: Significant wildfire damage in West 琉璃神社 Estates/Westside Road
