City officials still watching water levels on South Thompson River
KAMLOOPS — Early this spring, snowpack levels throughout the North and South Thompson valleys were at near-record levels — between 20 and 30 percent higher than average. Thanks to some chilly weather, the worst-case scenario in terms of river level rise was avoided.
“The snowmelt this year has occurred about as perfectly as it could,” City of Kamloops Utility Services Manager Greg Wightman says. “It’s been a pretty cool spring. Not a lot of heavy rain events, and because of that, we’ve seen some better than predicted water levels here.”
With the expectation that the rivers could rise as high as they did in 1972, the City took a proactive approach. They set up Hesco baskets to protect civic infrastructure at Riverside and McArthur Island Parks and warned residents to be prepared early.