To the Editor,
Re: Colliery dam risk lowered, May 29.
Time to celebrate, perhaps not.
Knowing that there would only be slight cracking of the lower Colliery dam in a major earthquake, with most of the rest of Nanaimo likely being levelled, perhaps we might now want to think about signage heading up to Colliery Dam Park saying earthquake safety zone.
Seems that the probable maximum flood could still be an issue; is spillway remediation needed? A maximum flood, possibly occurring every 50,000 years, is hypothetically based on assumptions and potential.
An engineer at a meeting with city staff in 2012 gave some insight into the likelihood and seriousness of such for the Colliery dams: “For a flood event, the [probable maximum flood] event isn’t going to happen overnight. The PMF comes after 40 days and 40 nights of rain.”
Should we really worry? If so, then I have an idea that could kill two birds. There has been much talk about Nanaimo having an iconic attraction; why don’t we build an ark in anticipation of the second coming of Noah’s flood.
Gordon W. FullerNanaimo