Trail in Cottonwood Island Park now under water- photo 250News

Prince George, B.C.-  Some of the trails in Cottonwood Island Park  are  underwater as the  Fraser River levels climb, causing  a back up  of the Nechako River at the confluence  with the Fraser.

It is expected the City of Prince George will soon close the trail system through  Cottonwood Island Park until water levels recede.

The Fraser, at South Fort was  at 7.979 meters as of yesterday.  That is still about 1.5 meters below the  flood level  of 9.4 meters,  but the  warm weather, along with  any rain, could push that level higher in the  days ahead.

As the graph below  indicates, the   Fraser River, at the South Fort  gauge,  has risen rapidly over the past week.

Graph courtesy Environment Canada

The River Forecast Centre’s  five day forecast predicts the  current flow on the Fraser will start to recede this week.

The spring freshet causes annual flood risk for the residents along Farrell Street in Prince George.  The several homes on the northern edge of Paddlewheel Park face an annual threat of flooding.

Over the weekend, the River Forecast Centre issued high stream flow advisorires  along the Bulkley River near Smithers, and for several areas in the southern interior including:

•  Okanagan (including Mission Creek and other small watersheds in the area)
•  Thompson Region (including the Salmon River, Shuswap River tributaries, and other small watersheds in the Kamloops, Merritt, Salmon Arm and Sicamous area)
•  Boundary (including the West Kettle and Kettle River)
•  Similkameen River and tributaries