By Adam Donnelly

Residents near Campbell Creek ready for more high water

May 2, 2017 | 4:55 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s one of those things that happens every spring. As the snow in the mountains melts, it comes cascading down, filling creeks and streams on it;s way down to the rivers in the area. This year, the melt has been slow, but Barnhartvale residents have seen things speed up, as Campbell Creek has come up significantly in the past 10 days. Residents are furiously sandbagging, in an effort to protect their homes, but luckily, many are getting a helping hand.

How high is the water in Campbell Creek right now? According to one resident, it’s the highest he’s ever seen.

“We’ve had this place for 11 years, we’ve never seen the creek this high,” Roman Gehring explained, taking a break from laying sandbags?

The stream, which runs through Barnhartvale, on it’s way down to the South Thompson River is well past its usual high water mark for this time of year, according to Gehring.

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“I would say about 9 days, 10 days ago it was at the high it usually was every year,” Gehring says.

Roman and his family have been working furiously over the past week to get a barrier of sandbags up to protect their home. Luckily, they’ve had some help.

Daniel Raymond and his wife are in a church group with Gehring and his family.

“My wife got an email (saying) somebody needed help because their creek was swelling, and they might be losing their home, so I came out to give a helping hand,” Raymond explained.

It’s the same story just down road – two volunteers who live in Brock came out to Barnhartvale to sandbag on their cousin’s property while he’s at work.

“Anybody could be in a bad spot,” Raymond says. “You just want to do your neighbourly thing and help people.”

The city is doing their part for residents, by providing sand, and bags for those who live along the creek to use. For Gehring, the help he’s received from members of his community has been overwhelming.

“It’s humbling,” Gehring says. “We try to do it ourselves, but we realized we do need the help, and we’re very appreciative.”

With more warm weather on the way, residents along Campbell Creek may not have seen the high water mark yet; but with the help of those in the community, they’re hopeful they can avoid any permanent damage to their homes and property.