By Tanya Cronin

Cherry Creek residents scramble to protect homes from rushing waters

May 7, 2018 | 4:49 PM

KAMLOOPS — Creeks and rivers are swelling with spring runoff, and in the Thompson-Nicola region flood watch is top priority.

Cherry Creek has been rising quickly over the last few days, and with warming temperatures mixed with potential rainfall, there’s growing concern for residents in the small community.

The situation, very reminiscent of last spring, when the creek burst its banks causing damage, and several homes were evacuated.

This week, residents are scrambling to protect their properties from rushing waters.

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Fast-rising waters, so powerful properties are being submerged and in some cases nearly washed out. 

It’s dejavu for Cherry Creek resident Wayne Holm. Just like last year, he’s feverishly working to protect his property from flooding, only this time the force of the water much stronger and faster.

“Flowing way faster than last year, and a bunch of debris came down from the farmers field and blocked it and dammed it up and surged up two feet and washed out along here,” says Holm. 

Up until four days ago, his backyard was dry. But on May 3, water levels rose five feet. Holm, with the help of family, friends and neighbours, jumped into action, and it’s been around the clock work since to keep the creek at bay.

“I put four feet of rock all across the front there after the water went down and it’s gone, not a thing left, I put $30,000 of rock in there and it’s all down stream somewhere.”

Last spring, Cherry Creek burst its banks, causing widespread damage. Just down the street at Lazy Acres on Corine LeBourdais’ property, a berm has been built. $10,000 in work she did to help prevent another disaster, a disaster that wiped out her business and nearly her home.

“A little over a third of the way down our property line, it helped, it kept it off our house because the water has a path now that’s lower. Nothing was ever done to the creek after last year’s flood, so we have basic ground with no rock and it’s just eating away under the highway,” says LeBourdais.

Ministry of Highways is busy shoring up the bank next door, in an effort to keep the road from giving way. Proactive yes, but LeBourdais’ concern is for the path that water will take, and what consequences it may have.

“They put a bridge in to get over there and it’s already narrowed the channel and once it’s diverted and I don’t know what that’ll do to the water, it’s going to hit it a different direction which could take off the corner of our property.”

Further down stream, Beaton Road has flooded and is closed, with properties virtually saturated. It’s hard to say when Cherry Creek will peak, it all depends on the weather which residents are monitoring closely. The fear though, is that this may just be the beginning.

“We might not get any more than we got right now, and then it could come up two to three more feet because they claim there’s still six feet of snow up in the hill, well if that thaws all at once, we’re in trouble,” says Holm.