While many are still dealing with soggy backyards and flooded basements, the patches of blue in the sky are a sign of hope that the worst is over for the city’s latest flooding scare.
In a weather and river update on Saturday afternoon the City of Maple ridge said the impacts of the rainfall event are improving throughout the community as the dyke pump stations move water from the Albion Flats and Lower Hammond areas that were hit hardest.
While the Alouette Lake Reservoir is still at or near capacity, the city says BC Hydro are continuing a controlled release to lower the reservoir level in order to mitigate the impacts of any future rain events.
READ MORE: City of Maple Ridge says risk of flooding diminished along North and South Alouette River
The South Alouette will continue to have a high streamflow, however, the City says it should not have flood impacts for residents along its banks.
As with any instances of high water, the city is reminding residents to be very careful around rivers and streams in the near future.
Wow! Heavy rain has filled Alouette Lake and they’ve opened the dam's flood gates because of high water. Clean Up Maple Ridge is volunteering at the Alco Park Cleanup along with Maple Ridge Adopt a Block and the Alouette River Management Society. pic.twitter.com/LzD4jKzypI
— Jamie Seip (@JamieSeip) January 31, 2020
Ross Davies of the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership says the water levels at Kanaka Creek on Friday night were the highest they had been since 2007.
“It was approaching 150 cubic metres per second, which for Kanaka is just off the charts,” he said.
“It’s gotten to the point where when I’m taking the dog out now we’re staying away from steep slopes because this is when things like mudslides tend to happen.”
He says the rainfall event could have both positive and negative effects on the creatures that call the rivers and streams home.
“For a storm of this magnitude, it’s got the potential to scour out salmon nests and send the eggs flying around. So short term there’s going to be some impacts but long-term it doesn’t do these systems any harm to rip like this about once every decade.
“We find the aquatic insect population goes through the roof because all the gravel gets all cleaned out.”
Although spring mosquitoes should be far from the minds of Maple Ridge residents who can be happy they do not have to canoe to the corner store.
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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