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Flooding in Likely area impacts Cedar Point Provincial Park

Some of the campsites have been roped off due to high levels in Quesnel Lake
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Quesnel Lake water levels have forced the closure of campsites at Cedar Point Provincial Park. (Tate Patton photo)

Water levels are high at Likely as Quesnel Lake and the Quesnel River reach 10 to 20 year flow rates.

Cedar Point Provincial Park board chair Tate Patton said they lost seven campsites as of Thursday and might lose a few more Friday.

“The water level has come up again overnight because it rained all night,” he told the Tribune Friday. “The water has been coming up all spring. It started to drop last week and we were hoping — as we only had three campsites roped off at that point.”

He’s been on the park board for 18 years and said the last time Quesnel Lake was this high was in 1999.

“At that time we almost lost Quesnel Forks and a bunch of our heritage buildings.

When asked if they have been sandbagging, he responded that would be futile because the water is seeping through the ground as fast as it is coming over the campsites.

There are 26 camp sites in total and normally he tries not to reserve more than about 60 per cent so on any given weekend they can find places for drive-in traffic.

“We do have a number of very popular sites that people request.”

Patton said anyone with reservations booked for this weekend to please call.

“Our plan is to put people in the ball diamond if we need because it’s high and dry.”

Read more: ‘This is crazy’: flooding at nine-mile dip closes Likely Road

Life-long resident Victoria Schill said across the road from the Valley General Store, two picnic tables in the grass and a bench overlooking the river have been sitting in water for a couple of days.

“It’s higher than normal, but not the highest it’s ever been,” she said Friday morning. “Who knows if we get a hot spell how high it is going to come.?”

There is still snow on the mountains, especially on peaks, such as one the locals call “brown top,” up in the alpine, which is visible when you drive into Likely.

Schill said she always stages when winter’s coming by looking up at that particular area.

“My granddaughter always called it the Oreo mountain because it can be white and brown at different times of the year.”

A flood watch issued by the B.C. River Forecast Centre, indicates on Friday, June 26, the Quesnel River is flowing at 550 cubic metres per second and rising.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the Cariboo including for Quesnel and Williams Lake.

Read more: Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Cariboo



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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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