British ColumbiaA landslide near Sayward on northern Vancouver Island last month has prompted concerns about the village’s drinking water system.The Strathcona Regional District is asking local residents to conserve waterMaryse Zeidler · CBC News · Posted: Nov 25, 2025 7:52 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A landslide near Sayward on north Vancouver Island has caused some turbidity issues in the local water system, according to the Strathcona Regional District. (Strathcona Emergency Program/Facebook)A landslide near Sayward on northern Vancouver Island last month has prompted concerns about the village’s drinking water system.In a written statement, the Strathcona Regional District says the landslide occurred at Newscastle Creek, about one kilometre outside the village, on Oct. 23 at around 9:15 p.m. The slide was loud enough to be heard by residents in Sayward — a village of around 350 people about an hour’s drive north of Campbell River — although no private or public property was damaged by the slide. But the district says the slide did cause problems with turbidity, and the village’s water treatment plant was temporarily shut down to keep too much sediment from entering the water treatment plant system.Sayward Public Works has been monitoring the village’s water system, the district says.WATCH | Drone footage captures landslide on north Vancouver Island:The district says the plant and the village’s water reservoir are now operating well, but it is akingresidents to conserve water for essential use only. It says temporary shutdowns may still be needed because of sediment caused by heavy rainfall and shifting fine materials. Read more news from Vancouver IslandThe village and the district have activated a Level 1 Emergency Operations Centre to keep a close eye on the extent of the landslide and its impact on the village’s source of drinking water.The district says Campbell River Search and Rescue captured drone footage of the area on Nov. 20, with funding support from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.The district says the emergency operations centre is hoping for a technical assessment of the landslide to help identify remediation and mitigation options. The district is also asking residents to avoid calling 911 for updates on the slide and the water system. ABOUT THE AUTHORMaryse Zeidler is an award-winning reporter who covers news from Nanaimo and north Vancouver Island. Have a news tip? You can reach her at maryse.zeidler@cbc.ca.
Landslide prompts water supply concerns near Sayward, B.C.
