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Carey Point residents notified of potential flooding of properties

City of Chilliwack issues first notice to unprotected homes and farms as Fraser River rises
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Residents at Carey Point in Chilliwack received their first notice from the City of Chilliwack, sent out on May 1, 2020, that the Fraser River may topple over the bank and flood properties. There are 18 properties at risk in the area, which is outside the city’s dike system. (Jessica Peters/ The Progress)

Residents on and around Carey Point have been notified by the City of Chilliwack of potential flooding this year.

A letter was sent out to those in the area on May 1 outlining the current levels of the Fraser River, and the forecasted peak of the spring freshet. According to the city, that is still a few weeks away.

“Water levels in the Fraser River may reach levels that could overtop the bank in the next several weeks,” the letter stataes. “The River Forecast Centre has predicted water levels will be in the 8,000 to 11,500 m3/s range for the Fraser River at Hope during the 2020 freshet season.

Carey Point has a history of flooding, as it is outside of the city’s diking system.

READ MORE: Three properties in Chilliwack on evacuation order

Typically, the top of the bank is reached when the flow is at 9,000 m3/s at Hope, they add. Whether the peak rises to that level will depend entirely on the weather over the next few weeks.

One of the worst flooding years was 2012, and that year the peak flow at Hope was 11,700 m3/s.

The city’s letter outlines the importance of emergency preparation, where to find more information, and who to contact at the city with questions. The city’s website contains all the information needed, including river conditions and forecasts, an emergency kit checklist, flood preparation information for the agricultural sector, and evacuation information.

There is generally a few days’ notice prior to flooding in Chilliwack, as forecasters watch the Fraser River as it flows from the north.

There are 15 properties north of the city’s dike that are in the affected floodplain, and three properties just south of the dike. Residents have already been shoring up current berms this season, in preparation for the rising waters.

READ MORE: Private berm outside Chilliwack’s Fraser River dike system gives way


@CHWKcommunity
jpeters@theprogress.com

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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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