River Watch Continues In Vanderhoof

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Aerial view of Vanderhoof at end of June       (photo courtesy Dr. Chun Wong)

The flow from the Skins Lake Spillway into the Nechako River will be increased today, meaning emergency officials in downstream Vanderhoof will remain vigilant over the next week for any breaks in dikes lining the community.

Emergency Coordinator, Jim Hurtado, says "The reservoir is kind of  holding its own – it’s not going up, it’s not going down right now – it’s static.  So that’s a good sign.”

Hurtado, also the District's Fire Chief, says the hot weather appears to be depleting what was a record snowpack in the watershed that feeds the Kenny Dam reservoir.  "Two of the snow pillows are gone, they’re not a factor anymore and the one remaining is dropping a fair amount – a few more days like this and it should be a non-factor too.  That’s why the reservoir is kind of static.”

He says the flow through Vanderhoof is expected to hit 775 cubic metres per second - normal for this time of year is between 450 and 500 cms - so the weekend and next week will be spent monitoring the river.   “We’re just patrolling the dikes, manning a few pumps that pump water behind a couple of the dikes – just watching it, I guess, maintaining what we’ve got.”

Hurtado says an evacuation alert covering 190 homes will remain in place until the Nechako returns to its normal flow rate.  And he has a warning for residents in Vanderhoof this weekend:

“Tell people to stay out of any stagnant water and out of the river because the stagnant water is getting pretty gross and the river is not a safe place to play.”

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