The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says the Sportsmens Bowl road area south of Oliver, B.C. is at “high risk” of flooding once again this spring.
In 2018, high stream flows throughout the Park Rill Creek watershed during the spring freshet resulted in one of the most severe flood zones in the region.
Flood waters washed out Sportsmens Bowl Road, prompting a local state of emergency.
Dozens of residents were forced from their homes for months due to the loss of road access.
With another flood and fire season around the corner, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is getting prepared.
It hosted a meeting on Thursday with emergency response representatives and members of the media to review communications strategies.
Jon Wilson, RDOS recovery manager, said localized flooding is imminent.
“We do anticipate a high risk and probability of flooding in those areas,” he said.
The problem: Park Rill Creek carved a new channel in 2018 and it doesn’t have the capacity to hold large volumes of water. Ground saturation is also an issue as the ground doesn’t have the ability to absorb high volumes of water.
Wilson said evacuations could be on the table again.
“There is a potential for it, even as recently as a couple weeks ago with freezing water, the culverts in the ditch alongside the road had frozen up which caused water levels to back up and start spilling out on to property,” he said.
Sean Vaisler, RDOS manager of emergency services, said the best thing property owners in flood-prone areas can do is be prepared.
“If you have properties you need to protect that are in flood plains or that were affected last year, I would start anticipating any preparedness for that,” he said on Thursday.
WATCH: (Oct 3. 2018) Flood evacuees petition for creek fix near Oliver, B.C.
Some residents along Sportsmens Bowl Road are petitioning the RDOS and the provincial government to work together to relocate the watercourse to its original creek bed.
Wilson said that would be a costly, long-term endeavor. He said they’re focused on short-term mitigation measures.
“What equipment and flood response measures would have to be put in place to better protect properties in the event that we do realize or see a future flood event to the magnitude that we had in 2018,” he said.
“We have to focus on response works right now so the broader mitigation question is going to have to be address down the road.”
Property owners in high-risk areas are encouraged to build sandbag walls and take steps to prevent creek erosion.
WATCH: (Aired June 6, 2018) Sportsmens Bowl flood evacuees feel left in dark, evacuated for 1.5 months
“In some situations, it’s the water level comes up slowly and it may surround their house, so then they need to look at placing a sandbag wall or a protective barrier around their house,” he said.
“In other situations you might have a creek that flows through a property,” Wilson added. “Early on you can take steps with work with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO), the provincial ministry responsible for streams, to do protective works to prevent erosion on your property.”
Wilson said there were properties that were damaged by floodwaters in 2018, ranging from basement flooding to erosion on agricultural properties that impacted crops.
He also encourages property and business owners to purchase the proper insurance.
“If you run a business, if your livelihood is dependent on your property, you should have business interruption insurance,” he said.