The Cheekeye Debris-Flow Barrier – unique features of a proposed open check dam in Canada

The proposed Cheekeye debris-flow barrier in Squamish, BC, Canada is an open check dam with a very large storage capacity of 2.4 million m 3 . There are several unique features of the design that deviate from standard international practice, including the very low probability (1 in 10,000 years) design event, the use of a single large structure, the selected construction material, the crest design, and the outlet design. These features were selected for the Cheekeye barrier due to idiosyncrasies of the site specifically, and of debris-flow mitigation in Canada, in general.