‘When I hear underground caverns, that’s pretty serious and alarming’

Pressed for more details about erosion that has closed a tourist trail near Hay River, ministers described the presence of “underground caverns” and even a backup plan to reroute a nearby highway.

On Tuesday morning, the GNWT said there was no timeline to reopen the Twin Falls Park trail that connects Louise Falls and Alexandra Falls just east of Highway 1 south of Hay River.

A territorial government news release blamed riverbank erosion and damage from recent wildfires.

That afternoon, a question-and-answer session at the legislature unearthed more detail about what the GNWT suspects is happening – and the severity of the issue.

Kate Reid – the MLA for Yellowknife’s Great Slave district, asking questions since both Hay River MLAs are cabinet members – invited tourism minister Caitlin Cleveland to expand on the news release.

“There is ongoing riverbank erosion and this is also combined with the discovery of underground caverns that are causing instability and safety concerns for public access,” Cleveland responded. (The news release had not mentioned caverns.)

“There is a contractor secured to conduct a geohazard and geotechnical assessment,” the minister added. “That work will take place this summer and inform next steps.”

“When I hear underground caverns, that’s pretty serious and alarming,” Reid responded, asking whether the trail might need to be moved or even permanently closed off.

“We’ve taken action to close the five-kilometre trail and also the viewing platform to make sure the areas that we know are unsafe are closed off to the public,” Cleveland said.

“With the information we get back from the assessment … we’ll be able to identify if further action is required.”

Highway safety

Later in Tuesday’s session at the legislature, Reid turned to infrastructure minister and Hay River South MLA Vince McKay for more information.

Asked by Reid if Highway 1 remains safe to drive, McKay said the road was safe and the situation is being monitored. (The highway runs roughly parallel to the affected trail, a little farther from the Hay River.)

However, McKay made clear that his department considers the issue serious enough that rerouting the highway is not entirely off the table as an option.

“There is room for realignment … the department’s currently looking at that as we speak,” McKay said.

McKay sought to place the issue in local context, stressing he had grown up in the area and erosion “happens quite often along that river system.”

Even so, he said, “there is room to relocate the road and if we have to do it in an emergency situation, there is the ability and the room to do that.”