20 July 2009
Landslides Near Calgary Park Trigger Stability Concerns
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Edworthy Park where the hillside is directly above the
CPR tracks on the edge of the Bow River. The rear of the home seen is on Spruce Bank Crescent S.W.
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Calgary Alberta - Calgarian Stephen Webster is on a
one-man mission to raise awareness about what he believes is the dangerous potential for landslides on the steep slopes
of Edworthy Park and Lawrey Gardens.
"It's a beautiful natural area that's prone to Mother Nature affecting the bank," said Webster, 49, a resident of the nearby
Point McKay neighbourhood, who often walks and bikes through the green areas on the south side of the Bow River.
However, the City of Calgary does not share Webster's concerns.
"We feel the situation is under control. There's no imminent, forthcoming event," west division parks operation manager
Michael Kenny said.
But Kenny is awaiting a final report on the implications of two landslides, in January and April, that wiped out dozens of trees and
an eastern section of the Douglas Fir Trail - which winds through both Edworthy Park and Lawrey Gardens.
The last time any kind of landslide occurred was related to the torrential rains of 2005, Kenny said.
And the landslide four years ago was the first of any significance in recent memory, he said.
Although Webster has long-standing concerns about slope stability in the area, the recent landslides have spurred him to
print posters asking other park users to contact city, provincial, and federal politicians if they, too, are anxious.
In particular, Webster is worried about an area where Canadian Pacific tracks run through a narrow strip of land between the river and
the steep slopes.
"If a derailment happened right now, how far down the river would the diesel get before they can contain it?" Webster said.
He wants both the city and Canadian Pacific to investigate the site to see if further reinforcements to the bank can be made.
Ideally, he said, he would like the tracks relocated.
Although Webster acknowledges he hasn't always enjoyed the noises from the train sounding across the river, he said this isn't a case
of NIMBYism. "I would hate to think that something would happen and I didn't do anything about it," Webster said.
Mike LoVecchio, senior manager for media relations at Canadian Pacific Railway, said the area is already recognized as one of special
concern and risk.
Canadian Pacific staff check tracks in the area twice each week, he said, and conduct other tests throughout the year.
The company installed a berm and rip-rap (rocks that protect soil around tracks against erosion) in 2005 and 2006.
The work was done under an emergency permit due to the flood risk at the time.
"It's a matter of safety," said LoVecchio, adding the welfare of the public and train crew members is a high priority.
He said Webster has been in contact with Canadian Pacific about the slope stability issues.
"We appreciate the fact he has taken the time to raise his concerns with us. It helps us when we have community feedback,"
LoVecchio said. "We're not going to know everything."
He added, however, there's no way the tracks are going to be relocated.
At the city, Kenny said a break in a water main may have been a factor in the landslides in January and April.
A final geotechnical engineering report from a private firm should be in the city's hands within a month.
"We want to make sure that Douglas Fir Trail is safe," Kenny said.
He said the trail should be realigned by summer 2010, at the latest.
John Davey, a director at the Edworthy Park Heritage Society, said slope stability issues are definitely a concern for members of the
group. "There seems to be ongoing slumping over the years," Davey said.
Leona Reimer, who regularly hikes Douglas Fir Trail, said another worry is many hikers have stepped over the orange plastic fences
erected by the city - marking the areas where the trail is closed due to the landslide.
This is adding to the erosion problems.
At the site where the slide occurred, large trees are still twisted and piled together next to large clearings of torn-up
ground.
"It took quite a chunk out of the hill," Reimer said as she surveyed the damage.
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