The B.C. River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows but no major flooding is expected in either city.
Maple Ridge’s emergency program coordinator Jame Clelland said the province is anticipating a pulse of water from the Fraser headwaters to make its way downriver over the upcoming days.
“The Fraser at Maple Ridge is expected to peak on July 6th-7th and then decline after that,” he said, “The current numbers given from the province suggest that our peak numbers will be below our trigger levels.”
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Clelland specified the city is continuing to monitor the situation at a local level carefully.
“The City of Maple Ridge is following its flood planning and is conducting daily dike patrols and water level monitoring to give us a more complete and accurate picture,” he said.
Pitt Meadows emergency coordinator Barbara Morgan had a similar message.
“As of [Thursday] there wasn’t a real clear picture of what [the river level] is going to look like for us, but we know it’s not as bad as what the province thought a couple days ago.”
Morgan said the city’s emergency operations centre is engaged at a level one, meaning they are monitoring the situation very closely and are prepared to jump to level two, which would involve evacuation orders if necessary.
She clarified it is unlikely evacuations are imminent, as the forecasted levels are at least a metre below the capabilities of the dikes.
Whatever the case may be, the end of the weekend should see the high water mark, Morgan said.
“What they are forecasting is the water’s going to peak Sunday, so whatever levels we’re seeing at that point is more than likely the peak.”
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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