Abbotsford floodgates fully open, state of emergency extended

There is some good news coming out of Abbotsford after the community was hit by catastrophic flooding, but concerns remain as the situation continues to evolve.

According to Mayor Henry Braun, the floodgates at the Barrowtown Pump Station have fully opened, with water flowing straight from the Sumas River into the Fraser River.

“The dike repair work has now reached a point where the water from the Sumas River is no longer flowing into the Sumas Prairie lake bottom, although there is much more work that still needs to be completed to reinforce the dike, as the Sumas River levels are now rising due to the fact that the water is no longer flowing into Sumas Prairie lake bottom,” Braun said Sunday.

Crews have been working furiously the last two days and have now sealed the breach in the Sumas Dyke near Number 3 Road which has stopped the flow of water from the Sumas River into the eastern part of the Sumas Prairie. pic.twitter.com/DvaedP0nrM

— City of Abbotsford (@City_Abbotsford) November 21, 2021

He notes water is being pumped out of Sumas Prairie at full capacity, alleviating more pressure on the community.

As a result of the floodgates working at full capacity again, Braun says water levels dropped on the eastern portion of the Sumas Prairie by three inches in just the first six hours.

The pump station had been at risk of failing when water levels rose several days ago. Braun says Abbotsford came “extremely close” to losing the critical piece of infrastructure.

“Earlier today, I was at the Barrowtown Pump Station and witnessed first hand the incredible work that was done by our staff, volunteers, and the residents of Barrowtown last week. They may be small in number, but they are mighty,” he said.

“I have to say that after my visit to Barrowtown this morning, I have a whole new appreciation for just how close we came to this disaster being much, much worse.”

Work continues to clean culverts and debris swept in by flooding. While progress is being made and though the floodgates opening fully is welcome news to the strained community, Braun admits water levels remain too high.

“There’s still five, six-foot depth lakes out there,” he said, adding crews are also focused on repairing the drinking water system.

Many thanks to the crews working on site, the Canadian Armed Forces members that were out yesterday, and the amazing volunteers who were out Tuesday night placing sandbags and fighting to protect this invaluable pump station. pic.twitter.com/bXXB51HkF6

— City of Abbotsford (@City_Abbotsford) November 21, 2021

A boil-water advisory remains in effect and water levels must drop further to support repairs, Braun added.

With Abbotsford still very much in the thick of flood response, the city has announced its local state of emergency will be extended for another week, through Nov. 29.

“With all this good news, we are still a long way from being out of danger,” Braun said candidly. “The situation here remains fluid and the key component of how well we are able to keep things moving in a positive direction is directly related to how much our weather continues to cooperate.”

---

Related articles:

• Rain on the way as Abbotsford, other B.C. communities struggle with floods

• Abbotsford floodgates partially open, Sumas dike repairs progressing, says mayor

• ‘Not out of this by a long shot’: Abbotsford flooding situation remains critical

 

Braun says the city is working to establish weather projections for the coming week in order to prepare for more rain.

“I am very concerned about it, absolutely,” he said of the weather system in the coming days, with forecasts suggesting heavier rain starting Wednesday.

“It’s not going to be like an atmospheric river, pineapple express, it’s not that type of set up. It’s a front that moves through and pushing up against the mountains,” Meteorologist Michael Kuss said.

He adds early projections suggest we could see accumulations of 50 millimetres of rain, which is not entirely uncommon for the region. However, at this point, “any rain is too much rain,” especially for the Fraser Valley and Interior regions.