File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

B.C. Flood

With rain and soaring temperatures this week, City of Kamloops prepares for fast-rising rivers

May 26, 2020 | 4:48 PM

KAMLOOPS — After near-perfect runoff conditions for the early part of spring, City of Kamloops officials are bracing for that pattern to change.

Utility Services Manager Greg Wightman says recent rainfall will be exacerbated by temperatures projected in the 30s later this week.

“We are seeing projections of the river to rise very quickly in the coming week — up to a point where we’re going to be certainly looking at deploying some more resources at places at McArthur Island to protect some of our critical infrastructure out there,” Wightman told CFJC Today.

In the coming days, Wightman says the City of Kamloops will close certain low-lying trails and take additional flood-prevention measures.

“You’re starting to see some of the bags that go out to seal catch basins and manholes,” said Wightman. “We do that so that the water from the river doesn’t come back up through those catch basins and flood our streets from something that’s actually meant to take water away.”

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“Then just continuing to make sure that we’ve got a good supply of sand and sandbags out there for residents who do need it, who are out hopefully protecting their homes in advance of the coming week here.”

The Thompson River has already completely covered Overlanders Beach and eclipsed the ‘Go Blazers Go’ exhortation on the old bridge supports.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre’s last snowpack survey, taken May 15, shows the North Thompson River basin at 112 per cent of normal and the South Thompson at 110 per cent — meaning there is still a lot of snow to melt in the alpine.

“We’re looking at a one-in-20 (year) event still, that’s everything that we’re hearing from the B.C. River Forecast Centre and all the folks at the province that we speak to, almost on a daily basis here,” noted Wightman. “For something that people can maybe picture, we’re looking a little bit worse than 1999.”

This graph shows Thompson River levels at the Overlanders Bridge to May 26, 2020 (Credit: City of Kamloops):