Flood mitigation work completed in Riverside Park (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

FLOOD WATCH

City of Kamloops prepared for 1999 flood levels

Jun 21, 2022 | 3:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — Flooding in Kamloops is most commonly measured not by peak flow but by year gone by. As the City of Kamloops prepares for the crescendo of the freshet season over the next couple weeks, two years remain at the top of mind for city staff. The flood of 1999 is very much realistic, while 1972 remains possible.

“Everything we are hearing from the B.C. River Forecast Centre right now is we should be expecting an event in and around 1999 as a possible high projection. Worst case scenario, still 1972 is not out of the question with some of the rainstorms we have projected. We are preparing to protect ourselves against what we saw in 1972 just to make sure we are prepared as possible,” said Greg Wightman, City of Kamloops Utility Services Manager.

Wightman did note that due to upgrades made at both Riverside Park and McArthur Island, the city is better prepared to handle the flood levels of two decades ago.

“The Riverside Park flood protection project protects us to a 1-in-20 year event which puts us just beyond 1999 but just short of 1972. We couldn’t go any higher because it still needs to be a beach and a public amenity. We are protected to a 1-in-20 and we have plans to go beyond that if need be,” added Wightman.

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Out in Valleyview residents like Laura Cutler are preparing for another year of potential flooding, but thanks to dike work done following the devastation of 1972 they are well positioned to withstand the surge.

“It’s sturdy, hopefully it was built to 1972 standards. It has done all the in-between floods since then so we can just hope it does what it’s suppose to do if the river keeps rising this year,” said Cutler.

Two main concerns have been repeated over the past months, extreme weather and both rivers peaking at the same time. According to Wightman, both those could happen over the next seven days.

“With this rain that’s forecast, there is the possibility of the North Thompson peaking around Friday or Saturday and the South Thompson peaking around the end of the weekend, early next week. The synchronization of the peaks looks like it’s going to happen this year, and it’s just going to be about how high those peaks are,” said Wightman.