Sicamous to study flood prevention possibilities

The Sicamous area dealt with the aftermath of the 2012 floods for years. It’s not a situation the lakefront community wants to repeat.

This week the province announced partial funding for a $50,000 flood prevention assessment.

The district hopes the professional environmental engineer they hire to do the study will be able to come up with a variety of options to help them prevent water levels from rising in the future.

The study is expected to focus on the area around Sicamous Narrows, a key location with regards to flooding in Sicamous because that is where the water from Mara Lake flows into Shuswap Lake.

Read More: Sicamous flooding washes out roads, damages properties

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It’s also where silt buildup has become an issue. The concern is that the accumulation of sludge on the bottom of the channel could push water levels in the lakes higher because less water is getting through the channel. Higher water levels could ultimately lead to more flooding.

The planned assessment is raising the controversial issue of dredging the narrows because some in town see that as the only solution.

“Every year we are gathering more silt so there is less room for the water to flow. I don’t see any other way but to dredge it,” Norm Doucette, part owner of Shuswap Waterfront Marina, said.

However, the mayor of Sicamous knows dredging can be controversial and hopes a professional who does the study can come up with other fixes.

“We have to be concerned about the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the fish coming through the channel. You know you can’t just go in there willy-nilly and start whacking away at it. We’ve got to find a solution that is going to be long-term where we don’t have this buildup,” Mayor Terry Rysz said.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We have to be concerned about the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the fish coming through the channel. You know you can't just go in there willy-nilly and start whacking away at it. We've got to find a solution that is going to be long-term where we don't have this buildup," Mayor Terry Rysz said.

Some in Sicamous have also advocated for dredging in the narrows to free up more moorage space for boats in the channel.

The province is covering $33,000 of the study’s price tag. The District of Sicamous will be paying the final $17,000.

The district is expected to hire a professional to complete the study in the fall.