With high water and hot weather throughout the Interior, officials urge caution around waterways this weekend

May 12, 2023 | 4:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — With temperatures forecast in the low-to-mid-30s this weekend, the BC River Forecast Centre expects the remaining snowpack in the region to continue to melt. That means residents of Cache Creek who live near the Bonaparte River will have to remain vigilant over the weekend into next week.

“It’s remained high and sort of eased just a small amount over the last day or two, so that’s positive news,” Dave Campbell, head of the BC River Forecast Centre tells CFJC Today. “But it still remains in those quite high flow conditions. At the gauge right now, we’ve got 85 cubic metres a second that’s coming through. Our assessment is that’s in that 20-year-to-50-year return period flow.”

While the Bonaparte may have come down slightly, the hot weather could have an impact on the remaining snowpack near the headwaters of the river.

Campbell suggests that water usually takes a few days to make its way down into the valley.

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“That’s another part of the caution, is that if the response comes on the weekend, it won’t be until early next week that we’ll see that flow rise in the lower reaches,” Campbell says. “We’re continuing to urge caution and certainly expect to see those high flows continue for another few days still.”

While stressful times in Cache Creek will carry into next week, here in the city the level of concern remains low, as city officials keep an eye on both the North and South Thompson Rivers and the smaller streams that feed into those flows.

“We do have a couple of creeks that have taken a spike in levels. Once again, nothing at this point that is causing concern,” Joe Luison, Utility Services Manager for the City of Kamloops explains. “We will be monitoring them over the weekend to see what the warm weather does, so we do have a plan in place for that.”

Despite the capacity for the waterways in and around the city, Luison urges caution for anyone who ventures close to those streams.

“The rivers still look reasonably low, and we’ve got some room, but it is moving fast,” Luison explains. “Please stay back. Stay aware. Erosion is occurring, so be safe.”

by Adam Donnelly

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With high water and hot weather throughout the Interior, officials urge caution around waterways this weekend

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