It’s been more than three years since the last sinkhole in the Seawatch neighbourhood of Sechelt was reported, but in the last week of April 2022, a new one may have daylighted.
The District of Sechelt announced the finding in a press release on May 4, after staff had been alerted the week before to “what appeared to be changes to some of the roads within the Seawatch area. Upon inspection, staff discovered subsurface erosion, what appears to be a new sinkhole and elevation changes to the surface of Gale Avenue North.”
Staff measured the sinkhole on Seawatch Lane to be approximately three feet by two feet and 18 inches deep, and extending horizontally below the asphalt by at least 1.5 metres.
In different areas along Gale Avenue North, also within the Seawatch subdivision, three road protrusions were found at the locations of geotechnical drill sites that had been patched after site testing, the release stated. But now, the drill hole caps were reported to be elevated above the road surface’s grade.
“It is not known to the District whether these observed changes are indicative of additional subsurface changes in the subdivision,” the release says.
“The District warns and strongly recommends that for their own safety, members of the public do not attempt to enter the Seawatch subdivision site. The Seawatch subdivision is believed to be hazardous, and sinkholes can occur suddenly and without warning and can create a risk of serious physical injury or death.”
The Seawatch subdivision has been closed since February 2019. In February 2022, the District of Sechelt gave the homeowners access to the area once again, but cautioned against human occupation.
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