Repairs to Sumas River dike protecting Abbotsford 95% complete: mayor

According to Abbotsford’s mayor, the main dike that breached during this month’s big storm is nearly fully repaired, but there are still concerns about how the situation could play out with more rain in the coming days.

On Thursday, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun said the work to bring the dike to a height of 23 feet is now 95 per cent complete and is expected to be ready before the next rain event predicted for the weekend.

There are seven additional pumps beyond the one at assessment Barrowtown, but Braun says they have never operated at full capacity for this long.

The city is watching the Nooksack River in Washington state closely.

“In 1990, it took 16 hours for those floodwaters from Nooksack to arrive at the U.S. and Canada border. This last event, it was 13 hours,” Braun explained. “What’s different here is that all of our drainage ditches, all of our culverts … that’s all full of water.”

Braun acknowledges it’s unknown how much more the existing system can take.

“It really depends on the Nooksack,” he said.

There are sirens in Washington state to warn people there if the river overflows, but Braun says B.C. doesn’t have a similar system. He’s asked to be alerted if the sirens are activated.

Abbotsford, B.C. holds steady in rain as highway 1 partly reopens

Parts of the Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford didn’t see an increase in water levels during Thursday’s heavy rain. But as Kier Junos reports, Mayor Henry Braun is still concerned about water rising in the Nooksack river south of the border.

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Related Articles: 

• Abbotsford scraps idea to build levee

• Abbotsford ready for rain, says mayor, as B.C. braces for more storms

• Highway 1 through Abbotsford to open at 2 p.m. Thursday

Meanwhile, the city’s rapid damage assessment is being led by Canada Task Force One to determine when remaining evacuation orders can be lifted.

“It is vital that we conduct these rapid damage assessments to ensure that people can return to their homes, barns and businesses as safely as possible,” the mayor adds.

The province reopened Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Abbotsford to all traffic around 2 p.m. Thursday. Amid this reopening, Braun is urging drivers to drive for the existing weather conditions, watch their speed, and remain focused on the road.

– With files from Nikitha Martins