NEWS RELEASE – UPDATE
Trail, BC
June 12, 2020
4:00 p.m. PT
River levels to rise with rainfall in the Boundary this weekend
– BC River Forecast Centre has issued a High Streamflow Advisory
View on the RDKB website: https://rdkb.com/newsreleases.aspx
Residents can expect to see a rise in river levels with rain forecast across the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary this weekend, with flows are expected to remain between a one- to five-year return, or a just above a normal freshet flow. Environment Canada has forecasted scattered showers this weekend with variable rainfall amounts ranging from ten to 40 millimetres across the Boundary.
The BC River Forecast Centre issued a High Streamflow Advisory late this afternoon. This means river levels are rising or expected to rise rapidly, but that no major flooding is expected. Minor flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Residents should keep sandbags in place.
The RDKB has reduced its Emergency Operations Centre activation level to a Level 1, with several staff on duty to monitor creeks and rivers and track BC River Forecast Centre models through the weekend. Those models predict peak flows from this rain event to be below our peak flows to date.
“The freshet has gone on for some time now and that can be frustrating for many of residents. It is important to continue to be safe during this time and practice continued caution around our water courses as erosion and bank instability remains a safety concern,” said Mark Stephens, EOC Director.
The RDKB rescinded all evacuation alerts this past week except for two lots in the City of Grand Forks near 19th Street that remain on evacuation alert due to riverbank erosion.
The RDKB warns everyone to stay away from the edges of watercourses and report any erosion or flooding to the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre at 1-800-663-3456.
For more information about snow and river levels as well as how to prepare for the 2020 freshet, visit emergency.rdkb.com. To register for the RDKB Emergency Alerting System go to https://ca.voyent-alert.com/vras/user-registration.html.
The RDKB will continue to update the public as new information is available.