The Cariboo Regional District is keeping a close eye on the Chilcotin River, as temperatures are expected to stay warm through the region.
“It is potentially going to see some high stream flows and issues coming up in the next week or so,” said Emily Epp, manager of communications for the CRD.
According to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, there is nothing significant in the short term, one to two day, forcast.
“We are letting people know who live along the tributaries to take steps to prepare if they have concerns. If they need to sandbag, they can reach out to us, and they should also make sure they have emergency supplies and an emergency plan in place.”
While currently they are simply monitoring stream-flows and haven’t released any alerts, Epp said they’ve received a general heads up from the province that the river and its tributaries may be a concern as areas thaw, particularly in the areas impacted by wildfires.
The CRD is also keeping an eye on the areas around Hawks Creek and the Rose Lake dam, where there have been controlled water releases in recent days.
In the regional district, however, it’s currently Nazko that is the worst hit, with 120 properties under evacuation order for the CRD, some even airlifted out of the area. For more, see our story on A3.
In Williams Lake, the public works department has placed sand piles on North Lakeside, at Signal Point Road, and South Lakeside at the sewer lift, and at the public works yard. Sand bags for filling are available to residents at the public works yard as well.
In the CRD, those in need of information, help or sandbags are urged to call the emergency operations centre’s public information line, at 1-866-759-4977.
“Our main message for everyone in the Cariboo is that we want people to be cautious around areas with road washouts or high stream flows because the ground can be undercut without you realizing it, and it can be quite dangerous,” said Epp. “Be aware and use caution.”