Spring flooding forcing repairs to Penticton creeks before next spring

PENTICTON – Last spring’s high water flows caused significant damage to the beds of Penticton and Ellis Creeks and will need to be repaired in time for next year’s freshet.

The damage to Ellis Creek has also prompted a motion to council to support expanding the scope of the Penticton Creek Restoration Committee in 2018 to include aspects of planning, restoration and flood protection issues in Ellis Creek.

The Penticton Creek Restoration Committee heard about the damage at its last meeting on Nov. 24. An inspection report delivered by Mould Engineering noted structural damage to Penticton Creek while Ellis Creek suffered erosion in its upper reaches, which impacted the creek further downstream when material carried down deposited in the creek’s lower reaches.

City Engineer Ian Chapman says budget numbers have yet to be calculated for some immediate work on Ellis Creek, which he says needs to be done before the 2018 spring freshet in order to prevent further damage.

He says more research needs to be done before a budget can be finalized.

“We learned fairly late on in the year we had issues with Ellis Creek,” Chapman says, noting the damage to the creek bed wasn’t as readily apparent as damage to the Okanagan Lake shoreline.

“The concern for us now is what do we do to get rid of some of the problems that might get rapidly worse in next year’s freshet. We can’t wait until the next fish window, which generally happens in July or August,” he says, adding the city needs to get into the creek now to do the work, but they don’t even have the designs for it yet.

“We’re not quite there in terms of full details yet. It’s a narrow window to work in. Depending on the position taken by the Ministry, we could have a very narrow window if we have a late winter and sudden thaw, and we’ve got the fish to think about. If they’ve spawned, we’ll have to wait until they’ve hatched, our window being between them swimming away and the raging spring torrents of water coming down,” he says, adding it’s a matter of some concern at this point.

Some budget money has been set aside for work on the creeks needing immediate attention, but without a crystal clear picture at this point, numbers aren’t firm, Chapman says.

He says he hopes to have a permit shortly after Christmas break, followed by further presentations to the Penticton Creek committee and possibly council to confirm the city’s direction.

City Council is expected to approve the Penticton Creek master plan at tomorrow's council meeting, Dec. 19, after the committee received positive feedback during the public consultation phase.

Council will also be asked to expand the committee’s mandate to include Ellis Creek in 2018.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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