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.
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