UPDATED:
A number of properties in Cache Creek are now under an evacuation alert because of the potential risk of spring flooding.
The alert covers “low-lying properties” between Quartz Road to the village’s eastern boundary, near Back Valley Road. The notice says residents will get as much notice as possible if they need to evacuate, and says people on alert should prepare in case they are evacuated.
Quartz Road is also closed from Highway to Stage Road, near the Cache Creek Fire Hall, because of the flood risk; that area has been flooded by Cache Creek in years past, most recently in 2018.
This comes after the BC River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the Cache Creek area and part of the Fraser Canyon.
The watch includes Cache Creek, Lillooet and Lytton, and comes as temperatures have rapidly risen above the freezing mark and have led to snow melting much quicker in higher elevations.
The province says as of this morning, the Bonaparte River is flowing at levels that are normal for every two-to-five years (35 cubic-metres per second), and it says that rate of flow is continuing to rise as snow melts.
Mayor Santo Talarico tells NL News the main risk right now is with Cache Creek itself.
“Cache Creek has given us a few issues to deal with, some hot spots that we want to do some rip-rapping to protect some properties along Cache Creek. We’re monitoring the situation and putting some plans in place to anticipate that we are going to get some rising levels in the next few days.”
Talarico says the village has stockpiled rip rap and sandbags, and has contractors with machinery, ready to use if needed.
“We’ve been through this before… We’ve basically got everything in place. We’re waiting for mother nature to take its course, and then we’ll react to that.”
He says the COVID-19 pandemic has not had an effect on preparing for potential spring flooding.
Temperatures in Cache Creek are expected to hit 23 degrees today and tomorrow, with highs in the high-teens and as high as 20 degrees later in the week. Overnight lows are expected to be between five and nine degrees all week. The forecast is similar for Lytton and Lillooet.
Further north, a more-significant flood warning is in effect for parts of the Nazko and Fraser rivers, northwest of Williams Lake and west of Quesnel.
(Photo: Facebook: Jennifer Ferguson)
Evacuation alerts are in place in Cache Creek and a section of Quartz Rd is now blocked off, between Stage Rd and Highway 1, because of the flood risk (see photo below). This area of town has been hit by flash flooding in recent years, including 2018. #Kamloops #CacheCreekBC pic.twitter.com/1uq0Ji22tc
— Colton Davies (@ColtonDavies_) April 21, 2020
