As a pair of rivers near the City of Merritt are on the rise, concerns around flooding are looming.

Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz says the both the Nicola River, and its tributary — the Coldwater River, have shifted up to a level one.

“We still have plenty of room to go but on the Coldwater River side, this is the first test — to a certain degree — of high water after the flood, we do have some low level areas where we have no diking so we have to be fairly careful what’s going on there,” he said.

“The Nicola seems to be holding its own. The lake was quite low to start off with so the lake has to in-fill quite a bit; and the (Nicola) River is coming up, but it’s nowhere near the point where we have to be too concerned at this point”

While Goetz says there is no flood risk currently, he says they decided to move to level one to be safe.

“I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”

The move, as Goetz explains, allows them to take early, preventative steps to protect the city from flooding.

“It basically allows us to get the sandbags and machine down at the Civic Center if anybody needs to fill a sandbag, it puts our crews on alert that if we need to start hauling dirt and stuff, they’re ready to go, and it lets us enact any kind of plan that we may have to fill in, in the lower areas.”

Despite the low risk currently, Goetz says he wants to be prepared for any situation.

“It doesn’t matter where you are, if you’re anywhere near a river right now with the cold spring we had and then the sudden warm weather, be prepared, be ready to go.”

Goetz says they will be keeping a close eye on the weather and the river levels.

The Coldwater River in #Merritt is experiencing high water levels, ahead of a severe thunderstorm watch this evening. pic.twitter.com/iOMwHS5ULc

— Jake Courtepatte (@JakeC_16) May 3, 2023