Localized flooding in the Oglow Subdivision of Castlegar that began Friday evening, May 26 will be keeping city work crews busy for a while.
The flooding occurred on Bloomer Creek, near Meadowlark Lane.
Emergency officials and local government staff responded to the flooding and the City of Castlegar explained the problem in a press release, “… a minor slide upstream on Bloomer Creek caused a temporary blockage on the downstream storm system that required city action to clean the system.”
The City of Castlegar is cautioning residents that creeks and streams are rising and increased flows are expected to occur.
“Residents are advised to use extra care and attention around local creeks,” explained the press release.
The city is warning hikers and walkers that they “should be aware that fast-moving water may cause some creek-bank erosion and creek bank edges may not be stable.”
Castlegar Director of Transportation and Civic Works Chris Barlow reports that the creek and slide have stabilized for the most part. “Small, little after-slides can and probably are likely to occur,” he said.
Bloomer Creek is now clear and back into its channel, but a large amount of debris has washed into the city’s storm water system. “We are working now to try to get that cleared before the next rainfall,” said Barlow.
The creek gets funnelled into pipes at the Oglow subdivision and then flows underground. “When the slide happened, sand and silt got into the creek and the creek washed it into our storm system, while a lot of it washed into the river, over time, sediment starts to settle out and settle to the bottom of the pipe, reducing the capacity of the pipe.”
City crews are working now on clearing those pipes and Barlow expects the task to take one or two weeks, “If the slide stays stable, and the creek is stable as far as flows and we get no major rainfalls.”
Barlow asks residents to have patience, “Crews are very busy and there will be lots of work in the Zuckerberg and Zinio area and there will be hoses across the road.”
If you notice a potential problem or a flooding concern please call the Castlegar Fire Department at 911.