‘Worst is yet to come’ in Willowbrook

By Lyonel Doherty

Oliver Chronicle

While all is quiet for now on the Willowbrook front, Area C alternate director Rick Knodel hates to say the “worst is yet to come.”

Spring runoff hasn’t even started yet, so the community that is under a state of emergency is bracing itself for more water woes.

But in the meantime, the situation has stabilized since Monday night when approximately 50 volunteers came together like bees to fill and deploy sandbags along Johnson Crescent where homes were threatened.

The regional district is saying that water moving through Willowbrook via Kearns Creek has stabilized.

“Volunteers continue to do an amazing job protecting homes, structures and property in the area,” said Paul Edmonds, director of the Emergency Operations Centre.

Edmonds reported that the Kearns Creek dam (aka Pringle dam) has been lowered significantly, which has reduced concerns in the area.

But rising groundwater is worrisome, he acknowledged. Therefore, he encourages residents to check their basements and prepare their property for potential run-off.

Sandbags are available at the corner of Johnson and Carr Crescent, and at the Willowbrook fire hall.

The regional district, under direction of Interior Health, will commence temporary chlorination of the Willowbrook water system. A boil water advisory remains in effect (since last year).

Edmonds pointed out the rise in the aquifer level may increase the risk of contamination of the groundwater.

Knodel said water is turning up in places where people have never seen it before, such as their driveways. If this becomes the norm, more problems will ensue, he noted.

The alternate director said this year’s flooding is different from last year’s in that 2017 was the year of groundwater swells, while 2018 is the year of high stream flows.

For local resident Walter Pshyk, the panic started last Sunday when the water started backing up in his yard.

On Monday night, during the work party, you could actually see the water from Kearns Creek rising, he pointed out.

“We were urgently trying to keep ahead of it,” Pshyk said.

If it wasn’t for this community support, the situation would be a lot worse today, he stated.

“There would have been a lot of wet feet,” Knodel interjected, noting the effort saved a lot of crawlspaces from flooding.

Jim Stanley, another resident who’s been filling sandbags, said the community can’t wait any longer for the provincial government to finally take action to address the problem.

He points to inadequately sized and blocked culverts that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure hasn’t been maintaining.

“I’m really pissed off. Do you have to wait for someone to die (before something is done)?”

But the ministry told the Chronicle a different story. In an email, the ministry said it has responded to the recent high water flows and continues to monitor and work on the site as necessary.

“The culverts have been well maintained. They were cleaned following last year’s events and are currently running at full capacity without restrictions.”

The ministry has commissioned a hydrologist report following last year’s flooding in Willowbrook. This report is specific to the Kearns Creek crossing location.

“The hydrologist’s report has just recently been received; staff are reviewing recommendations,” the ministry stated.

But Stanley reiterates that residents can’t wait much longer under the threat, noting there is currently one house with water entering the basement due to rising surface water.

“Four or five more homes will be in the same position within a day or two, in my opinion.”

There has been talk among residents about hiring a contractor to address the standing water issue, but you run the risk of downstream ramifications and liabilities, Stanley said.

“If we could just go ahead and save our basements, septic fields and property, that cost could be distributed amongst our owners.”

He pointed out the culverts on private property are the responsibility of owners who must maintain them.

Stanley said he realizes that Willowbrook is not the only community that needs help, but it should be a high priority under a state of emergency.

Fellow neighbour June Reynolds on Carr Crescent was flooded out last year and doesn’t want to deal with more devastation this year.

“I don’t have flood insurance and I’m a widow with no help.”

But her heart was warmed when she saw how many people came out to help Monday night.

“Willowbrook has always been a tight community,” she noted.

Reynolds was taken aback when people from outside the area brought food, such as soup and buns.

“It was incredible,” she said.

Local firefighter Kyle Fossett showed up at 6:45 p.m. and stayed until after midnight.

He noted that a number of people who came to help were from homes that weren’t even affected by the flood hazard.

In addition to Oliver and Okanagan Falls, four members of the Keremeos Fire Department showed up with another 6,000 sand bags loaded on their bush truck.

If not for all of this help, it would have been a different story that morning.

“From the areas that I actually saw in daylight, we certainly would have had water rather close to houses and most likely some damp basements,” Fossett said.

Knodel said the effort he saw on Monday brought him close to tears, particularly seeing local youth lending a hand.

Meanwhile, above Willowbrook, large siphon hoses are draining water from Pringle dam, which has been close to cresting.

Area C director Terry Schafer said this is where much of the floodwaters are coming from.

“The dam is reaching a critical height and ready to crest. If that reservoir ever let go, Willowbrook would be wiped off the map.”

Schafer calls this siphoning measure a “necessary evil” as the dam is being decommissioned due to its liability.