At approximately 2:15pm on Sunday June 13, 2010, a privately-owned earthen dam on a manmade reservoir on Testalinden Creek failed, causing an enormous debris and mud torrent that severely impacted a number of homes and an agricultural area eight kilometres south of Oliver, British Columbia.

The Testalinden Dam was constructed in the 1930’s for the purpose of water storage and irrigation. The dam has had a series of licensed owners since that time, with the current owner being responsible for the structure since 1981. Documentation is limited, but according to the report on the incident, there is a consistent pattern of concerns and warnings issued by the Ministry of Environment, or predecessor agencies with responsibility for the Water Act, to make needed repairs to the structure to maintain its integrity. There is no indication that the needed repairs were acted upon and also no indication that the owner was being held accountable to make those repairs.