The threat of higher water in the Shuswap appears to have ebbed for the next few days, but provincial crews have arrived to help prepare for what鈥檚 forecast for next week.
Seventeen B.C. wildfire crew members have set up in Salmon Arm, putting their muscles and expertise to work augmenting residents鈥� efforts to stave off further flooding.
When their work will be tested remains to be seen. Like the rivers and creeks, the forecast for peak water levels changes from day to day.
As of Tuesday, May 15, officials were predicting that this week will see stream flows remain relatively stable, but next week peak levels are expected.
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Derek Sutherland, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District鈥檚 team leader with protective services, says river flow levels of 80 cubic metres per second are forecast for the middle of next week 鈥� around the 23rd or 24th.
To put that level into perspective, the overnight surge on May 9 and 10 that鈥檚 been called a 100-year flood was measured at 77.7, so next week it鈥檚 possible the flooding could be even worse. On Sunday, Salmon River levels had receded to the high 50s.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a reprieve,鈥� Sutherland says of this week鈥檚 forecast, 鈥渂ut we have the unit crews working to help support the sandbagging situation in the Salmon River Valley.鈥�
He says the crews, who are staying in a hotel, are here to work 10 hours a day for seven days.
鈥淭hese guys are pros. They鈥檙e experts in sandbagging, fit young men and women. They can get a lot done in a short amount of time.鈥�
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Properties have been triaged based on factors such as how vulnerable the residents are, how close they are to flood water and what the consequences will be for their property if stream flows reach 80, Sutherland says.
鈥淭hey come equipped ready to work, they don鈥檛 even need us to get them a lunch,鈥� he enthuses about the crews. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e used to being deployed.鈥�
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e looking at, many of our residents in the Salmon River Valley, they鈥檙e exhausted, they鈥檙e stressed, sandbagging is really taking a toll on them. We鈥檙e hoping to get a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time.鈥�
Tuesday morning the crews were at DeMille鈥檚 Farm Market, placing gabion baskets and sandbags to halt the river that crept into the market鈥檚 parking lot last week 鈥� the highest that owner Brad DeMille has ever seen it. Gabion baskets are like a faster, higher, bigger sandbag, Sutherland explains.
Crews were also heading to properties along Salmon River Road.
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Sutherland says although the snowpack on the immediate hills is all but gone, snow from mountains farther away will still impact local creeks.
鈥淭he saving grace is that there鈥檚 no rain in the forecast. If that changes and there is rain to add to the snow melt, we would expect the stream flows to increase.鈥�
If residents require support, including sand and sandbags, they鈥檙e asked to contact the Shuswap Emergency Program at 250-832-2424.
As for other areas in the region, such as Sunnybrae, Sutherland says landslides, unlike floods, are a lot more difficult to predict. However, the CSRD is participating in a mapping project to identify flood risks there.
He says there is still some debris above the 4400 block of Sunnybrae-Canoe Point Road, and a couple of houses are on longstanding evacuation alerts and one is on an evacuation order.
鈥淲e鈥檙e keeping our eye on those situations鈥︹��
Skimikin Lake has flooded over the road in the CSRD, but Sutherland says it鈥檚 鈥渘ot an overly serious situation.鈥�
The CSRD also reports that the Reinecker Creek trail system is closed due to high creek levels. In the same area, BC Parks has closed the Upper Herald trail that links to Reinecker. And the popular Margaret Falls trail remains closed for the season for repairs from last year鈥檚 floods.
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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