The South Thompson River is at 10-year flows, according to the B.C. River Forecast Centre. It will remain there, unless there is significant rainfall or a stretch of hot weather in the next two weeks (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

B.C. FLOOD

South Thompson likely to remain at 10-year levels, barring significant rain: B.C. River Forecast Centre

Jun 5, 2020 | 4:36 PM

KAMLOOPS — The city has been bracing for a 20-year flood all spring, the worst since 1999 when all of Riverside Park was under water. Hesco baskets have lined portions of the Rivers Trail for weeks in preparation.

At the current pace, however, the B.C. River Forecast Centre says it may not be that significant after all.

“On the South Thompson side, we’re in about that 10-year flow forecast over this weekend,” said Dave Campbell of the B.C. River Forecast Centre. “So it’s pretty close and it will come down to — do we see an extra week of rising or not to bump up to those higher levels like a 20-year flow?”

While Campbell is not ruling out 1999 levels, he says if there is no significant rainfall or stretch of hot weather in the next two weeks, Kamloops will be in the clear.

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Environment Canada is forecasting rain this weekend but it should not play a major factor in the levels of the North and South Thompson Rivers. The city is continuing to prepare, covering sewer access holes to protect infrastructure at Riverside Park and across the city.

“I’m currently working with the crews, managing the puddling that we’ll have around the covered infrastructure — [catch basins] that we’ve covered to stop surcharging back, so as the rain falls it can’t leave those roads,” said City Utility Services Supervisor Joe Luison. “We need to be in place to remove that water, so it doesn’t create concern for home owners.”

From the information received by the River Forecast Centre, the North Thompson has already peaked and is in fact receding at this point.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre says the North Thompson River already peaked earlier this week (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

“I think we’re more clearly past the snowmelt side of things on the North Thompson, and so we did see the river peak out at about a five-year flow earlier this week and it’s been dropping, so that’s a positive,” said Campbell.

While Campbell is optimistic with how the freshet season has played out in the Thompson region, it will take another week before determining if flood threats are over.

“I think that would be the caution right now is, we’re not quite ready to back away from those plausible [1999] scenarios, getting up to 20-year or even above if it was to get wet,” noted Campbell. “But I think this next week is going to be pretty critical to understand that and get to what we ultimately get to on the South Thompson and Kamloops.”