Employee Cody Turner drives a forklift in the yard of Knox Mountain Metals. The yard is partially closed because of the collapsing hillside seen in the background in Kelowna on May 25, 2018

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA - A hydrologist will be brought in to determine the source of water that continues to seep underground from a slope along the Knox Mountain bench.

Roadways construction supervisor Darin Thompson said the slope is continuing to move although concern has shifted west away from the gaping bite and small mudslide in the hillside above Knox Mountain Metals.

“What looks like the worst area is actually the best,” Thompson said.

Tension cracks have appeared along the slope closer to the end of Ethel Street, Thompson said. “Knox Mountain Metals got some good news today. They are getting a portion of their no-go zone reduced.”

Instead, crews may have to shift the temporary fencing and signage that has blocked the trail along the bench since the slide in late March.

Finding the source of the groundwater that’s destabilizing the hillside will likely solve the problem, Thompson said.

His own suspicion of the source is Kathleen Lake, a pond on the top of Knox Mountain that Thompson says has been rising in recent years.

A hydrologist will test groundwater samples for continuity, comparing characteristics of the groundwater with possible uphill sources.

Thompson said there is no concern at this point for the roadway along Royal View Drive which is still some distance from the slide area.

He’s heard no reports of problems in the houses along Royal View Drive which have for years had to deal with groundwater in the spring.

He estimates it will take the summer for the hydrology crew from Vancouver to complete their field work with remedial work likely completed next year.

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