Sportsman’s Bowl residents brace themselves amidst floodwaters

By Lyonel Doherty

Oliver Chronicle

As Allen Lamb works his “piece of paradise” on Sportsman’s Bowl Road, he’s very worried that will all change soon.

The senior, who’s already had one heart attack, is afraid of suffering another due to the current flooding situation.

“It’s very, very stressful,” he told the Chronicle as he pointed to Park Rill Creek flowing aggressively through his orchard.

Sixteen area residents are on evacuation alert (the first in the regional district) because their road is being compromised by floodwaters.

Yesterday a section of road collapsed and had to be filled in with rocks, but residents fear the situation will worsen and they’ll become stranded in their own community.

Lamb, a retired mechanic, moved here in 1975 and has never witnessed flooding like this before.

“I was advised years ago that the two-foot culverts would handle the water (but guess what? They’re not).”

But Lamb is trying to make the best of it by helping his neighbours by using his equipment to dig out culverts and deliver sand for sandbags.

While he’s doing what he can, he has to watch his health.

“I just don’t need any more stress to cause another heart attack.”

Lamb has gathered all of his important papers and is ready to load them in his vehicle in case the alert leads to a full evacuation. As a precaution, he has found other accommodation in the evening and plans to return every morning to continue farming.

What worries him is if the culverts on Secrest Hill Road give out, all that water will become a rampaging monster on the community.

And Area C director Terry Schafer totally agrees.

“That roadway could disappear in an instant. If that let go the disaster would be biblical.”

Schafer, whose own property on Island Way Road is mostly under water, hopes someone will convince Mother Nature to give people a break.

“Mother Nature is pretty mad at us.”

Schafer said he can’t stress enough for residents on Sportsman’s Bowl Road to be ready to evacuate immediately.

Resident Jennifer Busmann said she’s ready.

“We’ve moved our pets to a friend’s, gathered a few mementos and are ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

Surrounded by sandbags at the end of her driveway, Busmann said they have plans to stay at a family friend’s place.

“I’m not scared, just anxious. There is no communication of what the plan is (for this area.”

Busmann said the lack of information from the regional district and the province is the biggest concern right now.

“My question is . . . the spring runoff has started. Is there a plan? The road will get worse and people may be stranded with no access to emergency services.”

Looking on the bright side, Busmann said she is just thankful that everyone is safe at the moment.

She pointed out that the entire community has banded together to help mitigate damage to each other’s property.

Perhaps the community will schedule some bathtub races down the street, Busmann said to lighten the mood.

While Lamb can appreciate a joke as much as the next guy (or gal), he is quite unsettled about the whole situation.

He feels the government is content with using “Band-Aid” solutions this year when it could have addressed the problem last year by changing (improving) the culverts.

Lamb said the government should be taking pressure off the system by pumping some of the floodwaters into White Lake or Okanagan River.

Narvir Gill, the first resident on Sportsman’s Bowl Road, has been allowing people to drive through her vineyard to access Highway 97.

She admitted being a little scared about the flooding, but feels lucky to live so close to the highway.

Gill said she didn’t receive an alert from the fire department, perhaps because of her proximity to Highway 97.

She noted the flooding has destroyed some of her grape plantings and washed away the sandbags she recently filled.

“I’ve never seen it (flooding) this bad.”

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said there are three dams being drawn down that are contributing to the flooding in Sportsman’s Bowl. These are Kearns Creek dam, Kitley Creek dam and an unnamed, unauthorized dam on private property.

A ministry spokesman said all three dam owners have been issued verbal orders to lower their reservoirs to reduce the risk of a larger, uncontrolled release of water.

“The ministry will require the unnamed dam to be either decommissioned or legalized within the year,” the spokesman said.