(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
November 18, 2015 - 2:30 PM
ENDERBY - A debris flood down Cooke Creek east of Enderby that left 200 people stranded after a road and bridge were washed out last year was caused by someone tampering with culverts at Dale Lake.
On May 2, 2014, millions of gallons of water and debris swept down Cooke Creek in the Kingfisher area, destroying a bridge and road and knocking out power to area residents who were stranded.
Okanagan Shuswap District Natural Resource Officers are now asking for the public’s help in finding those responsible for tampering with those culverts in May 2014.
Anyone who may know the person(s) responsible, or who witnessed suspicious people or vehicles in the area leading up to May 2, 2014, are asked to submit a report to the the Natural Resource Violation reporting line at 1-844-NRO-TIPS (1-844-676-8477), or online at https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hen/nrv/report.htm. Reports can be anonymous.
Officers are also reminding residents and business owners that it is unlawful to tamper with culverts on Crown land. Tampering can create public safety hazards, pose health risks to people, cause environmental damage and destroy fish and wildlife habitat.
Anyone found guilty of causing environmental damage as a result of tampering with culverts on Crown land may be subject to prosecution under the Forest and Range Practices Act, under which people can be ticketed $575 or fined up to $100,000 and/or one year in jail.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015