By Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
If you said that Ray Hewitt has been swamped lately, that would be an understatement.
As the Road 6 orchardist surveys his land and trees today, he’s worried for his livelihood.
“I can’t lay back. I have to protect my property,” he said while standing ankle deep in floodwaters (more like mud waters).
The culprit is Reed Creek that is overflowing and causing havoc in the area.
The water has breached his pump house and threatening his fresh water supply.
Hewitt sloshes through his orchard, getting stuck in the mud.
“I’m totally frustrated dealing with bureaucracy,” he said, referring to government ministries not communicating with him and other residents.
Hewitt said the government could and should have been proactive after last year’s flooding. But they did nothing, he pointed out.
Hewitt believes the creek should have been cleaned out and maintained, and proper drainage work should have been carried out before another mess (like this) occurred.
“It’s a lack of maintenance. They did nothing for years. They have to clean the mud out of the creek.”
Hewitt admits he’s not an engineer, but insists the key is to escort the water to Okanagan River below the Road 9 drop structure.
Right now a crew with heavy equipment is installing culverts to ease the pressure along Road 6.
North of Oliver, it appears more water is filling up Sportsmen’s Bowl Road but is still under control.
A section of Park Rill Road is now under water (the eastern tip).
And further north, the creek that runs underneath Highway 97 at Gallagher Lake has washed out a piece of Deer Park Estates. The erosion now threatens a section of road in the park.
In Okanagan Falls, 54 residents have been issued an evacuation order due to major flooding along Shuttleworth Creek.
Ray Hewitt stands in floodwaters on his property south of Road 6. He’s worried about his orchard and says his fresh drinking water has been compromised. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
