Loch Quoich Landslip Update

On Monday 12 November a very significant 1km long landslip occurred near the Loch Quoich Dam. It severed the HV transmission lines to Skye and the Western Isles, closed the road and deposited a considerable amount of material into the dam spillway, forcing power station operations to be stopped.

Since the incident The Highland Council has been working with SSE  Transmission Limited, SSE Generation  Limited, the affected residents and land users. The immediate priority for the Council was to make provision for access and provisions for those affected by the road closure. Arrangements are in place and a temporary All Terrain Vehicle(ATV) access route has been established with the help of SSE Generation and landowners.

Mott MacDonald geotechnical engineers have categorised the area of the slip as very high risk which prevents any attempt to clear debris from the road under the large loose material on the slope above. This material must be stabilised first. SSE Transmission have re-instated their cables and have now handed over control of the road site to the Council.

A road block to prevent members of the public entering the high risk area, and to direct essential users to the ATV diversion is now in place and is manned during daylight hours. Non-essential users are asked to avoid the area altogether.

A slope stabilisation and road clearance plan is being developed as a matter of urgency by the stakeholders. The Council’s Senior Engineer Amanda Henderson will be visiting the site on Wednesday and a further update will be provided next week.

The route is likely to remain closed until mid 2019.