Editor, The News:
Re: Council Has Quake Concerns (The News, March 23).
Wow, Maple Ridge council is finally awakening from its stupor to imply that it has some concerns about earthquake safety. Are the present council members or people in this community finally paying any attention to what has happened in New Zealand and Japan during the last couple of months?
We are overdue for a significant earthquake in this part of the world, the last being an M7.3 near Comox in 1946.
In the almost 40 years that I have lived in this community, I have seen a continuous ignorance of earthquakes, with councils giving in to the demands of developers. When I see that council is finally paying attention to the geology of the region, I will begin to believe that the message is finally getting through.
But I do not hold out a lot of hope when I look at the recent history of development. There are a number of examples where houses have been built on flood plains, on clay slopes, at the top and bottom of unstable slopes, presumably with the approval of previous councils.
Currently, the community is arguing over the Albion flats – a highly saturated flood plain that is identified as an earthquake liquefaction site on Metro Vancouver hazard maps. Ground shaking will be up to 10 times stronger in this area than on more stable land. That means water will pour out of the ground and buildings will sink or topple.
How safe is the current sports complex in terms of a significant earthquake?
Any additional building will also entail loading the area with fill to bring it above flood levels, compounding the problem. However, loading up part of the land increases the water table in the so-called undeveloped areas. This will lead to increased flooding in these parts of the flats, making any chance of food production virtually impossible.
I do not care that big-box shopping is somewhat cheaper. If those big boxes are built on the same type of filled flood plain, I will not go anywhere near them, not in Port Coquitlam, Albion or the Kwantlen land. For the latter, the fill is at the top of a steep slope above the Fraser River.
What about liability or insurance issues over increased flooding or earthquake damage resulting from poor municipal decisions?
E. Williams
Maple Ridge