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River valley update: Crews work to build temporary access bridge berm

WLIB, MOE monitors now involved
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The broken sewer line has yet to be repaired as access has not been established here where the road washed out completely. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

Work continues in the Williams Lake river valley to repair damage to the City’s sewer infrastructure caused by flooding due to one-in-two hundred flow rates of Williams Lake Creek which empties into the Fraser River.

“Crews are in the river valley focusing on building a temporary access bridge berm to the grit chamber,” the City’s director of municipal services told the Tribune Sunday.

“They are also hauling riprap over Moore Mountain for use as armour for the causeway.”

Muraca said Williams Lake Indian Band now has environmental and archaelogical monitors on site to monitor the project.

Additionally, the City has two representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy’s emergency response team from Prince George and Kamloops who are providing guidance and oversight.

“We welcome both parties to the team as we progress, assess and remediate the damage caused by the flooding moving forward,” Muraca said.

Water levels in Williams Lake dropped overnight by three inches and over 12 inches in the last five days.

“That is fantastic news and we look forward to that drop making its way down to our area, here in the river valley.”

The City continues to ask residents to minimize water and sewer usage to help decrease the amount of flow into the sewer system. On Friday one sewage leak was stopped but the original rupture to the sewer line has not been fixed as of yet.

Read more: City of Williams Lake: raw sewage leak confirmed Thursday repaired in the river valley Friday (May 1)

Eleven properties in the industrial park remain on evacuation order and the Green Acres Mobile Home Park’s evacuation alert is still in place.

news@wltribune.com

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An aerial view of Williams Lake’s sewage treatment infrastructure in the river valley on Tuesday, April 28. This view is looking toward the Fraser River. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)


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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