Listen Live
Listen Live
Listen Live

Wells is in emergency status for flooding

Work is underway in the District of Wells to prevent flooding.

Mayor Ed Coleman says they are currently in what is called “emergency status.”

“Emergency status allows you to get resources to start solving your problem. Since January 1st, that’s new legislation, so there is a lot more you can do with government before you have to call a state of local emergency. And a state of local emergency is only needed if for some reason government can’t figure out how to solve the problem immediately, and you also call it if you have to have to evacuate.”

Coleman says that is not the case right now.

He says work has actually been underway on Lowhee Creek to try to prevent flooding since before Christmas.

“What Lowhee Creek is doing is its filled itself in over time, over the last few decades, and now its taking its sediment into Jack Of Clubs creek, and what that’s doing is backing up our water into Jack Of Clubs Lake. That is creating a dam for going downstream into the Willow River, so that threatens our waste water sewer crossing.”

Coleman says they received a quarter of a million dollars on Wednesday to protect that waste water sewer crossing.

He says the work on Lowhee Creek involves a lot of rip rap, probably a couple of hundred loads.

“And then large machinery places that as per environment regulations. You put down a ground tarp and then you put the rock on top of that.’

Coleman says Lowhee Creek also has arsenic levels in its sediment so they are also managing that.

“Arsenic is part of the historical mining that goes back to, it’s natural in this area, it’s natural in the whole Cariboo actually. It dates back to the 1870’s-1880’s, and then anything that occurred in the 1930’s out here, so you do have levels of arsenic in the soils.”

Coleman says before they do anything they always test to see what the level is to make sure it meets the regulated standards.

He says in addition to the work on Lowhee Creek they are also doing some dredging at Jack of Clubs Creek.

Coleman says the Lhtako Dene Nation has been a partner in all of the work.

Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Continue Reading

ckbx Now playing play

cffm Now playing play

ckcq Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

CRD to resume hydrant maintenance work in parts of the South Cariboo

Hydrant maintenance work is scheduled to restart in parts of the South Cariboo starting this Monday (October 20).

September was a little slower than August for the Williams Lake Fire Department

Calls for service were down slightly last month for members of the Williams Lake Fire Department.

Quesnel mourns the loss of one of its prominent citizens

Mary Sjostrom, Director of Electoral Area A for the Cariboo Regional District, passed away suddenly on Tuesday morning. Mary spent decades in public serivce as a City Councillor then the first female Mayor of Quesnel before being the Director for Electoral Area A of the Cariboo Regional District, on top of being a member of countless committee boards across the region.

Prescribed burn scheduled for patch of land within Williams Lake Community Forest

A prescribed burn will be taking place on Dipping Road, 10 kilometres west of Williams Lake, north of Highway 20 along the Fraser River within the Williams Lake Community Forest.

March with Arch honoured at the College in Quesnel

A presentation on Archie Chanytman's March with Arch and healing journey was held at the North Cariboo Community Campus of the College of New Caledonia on October 15. During the presentation, a new short documentary on the March with Arch was shown, followed by Lhoosk'uz Dene Nation elders telling their stories of suriving residential school.
- Advertisement -