With a chance of rain in the forecast, some Okanagan Falls, B.C., residents are bracing for the worst.
Excess runoff from above their home has turned Wendie and Larry Huddart’s property into a muddy nightmare. The water has completely destroyed their backyard, the front of their house and the driveway.
“What we need now is immediate, temporary relief or protection because we’ve got weather coming and our yard is absolutely wide open to flooding,” Larry Huddart said.
The water though doesn’t stop there, travelling across the street and down to Jason Rush’s property.
Last week Rush returned home from vacation to find water inside his garage and his yard completely submerged.
“When I thought about water problems, I thought a little trickle down the driveway but what we are talking about is that you can kayak down. That is how much water we are dealing with,” Rush said.
“It has destroyed our yard. We normally have 10 inches all the way around the house. It is fortunate that my foundation is a little higher so none of the water has gone in my house, but it has gone in my garage, so I am fixing that again.”
Water has washed out part of Mclean Creek Road above the properties and the trio say they need solutions now before it gets any worse.
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“As far as the road – Ministry of Highways – that is the biggest question,” Rush said. “I know that the road is the biggest thing for them, but I shouldn’t have to take all the water from the South Okanagan in my yard.”
In an email to Global News, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said the excess runoff is coming from a private road and the ministry will not be managing the drainage.
The private road runs through a newly built subdivision called Big Horn Estates. Big Horn declined to comment.
“The ministry will be contacting the private road owner to ensure they are aware of the drainage concern and the impact that it’s having on McLean Creek Road and private land below, with the expectation that they resolve this drainage concern,” the ministry said in a statement to Global News.
According to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), a site visit conducted by the province and the maintenance contractor in November 2023 found “this is a private property issue.”
Meanwhile, the residents met with the RDOS, the Ministry of Transportation and representatives from Big Horn Estates earlier this week to discuss solutions.
“This is certainly a very real problem for the individuals involved and the solution isn’t straightforward, it’s complicated. I really appreciate that the different players that could have some direct responsibilities here have gotten together to consider some of the solutions,” RDOS Skaha East and Okanagan Falls area director Matt Taylor said.
“And I think we’re all just needing a bit of time to look at what has actually been done in these locations in the past and that is contributing to the problem and what needs to be done going forward.”
For now, the residents are closely monitoring the weather and the road hoping everything stays dry until some protection can be put in place.
“We have hope but that’s not getting traction and getting anything going because right now we have rain coming and we have to get it going,” Larry Huddart said.
“We need solutions yesterday or today before the next storm comes.”
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