The Utility Services Manager with the City of Kamloops is confident in the flood protection measures that the city has put in place at Riverside Park.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Greg Wightman says the recent rain makes it hard to predict what could happen on the river, noting staff are trying to stay on top of the issue as best as possible.

“We’ve got a buffer zone certainly before we’d have to start deploying any more resources, and we are protected to that one-in-20 year level right now,” he said. “We are not currently hearing anything beyond what we are protected to but we’re certainly going to keep a close eye on that.”

“As far as impacts to town this time around, I’m not entirely certain to be honest. When it comes to river elevations, river levels, I think going down to Riverside Park and certainly seeing the monument there gives you a real good idea on what that would look like visually.”

Wightman adds all of the city’s flood protection measures will remain in place until such time city staff know for sure that the risk of flooding has passed.

“Its certainly better than 1972 when we had the major flood out in Oak Hills there,” he noted. “We’ve got dykes and berms and temporary flood protection measures that are far better, far more sophisticated than what was in place at the time.”

“[As for measures in place, a river level rise] in an around that metre and a half to two metre level would get us closer to that one-in-20 mark, and that’s kind of our trigger point as far as what we have out there right now.”

Staff he says, have been preparing all year for the possibility of a one-in-20 year type flood event, something similar to 1999.

Environment Canada data shows 42 mm of rain fell in Kamloops in June, which is ten per cent more than the normal. It was immediately followed by the fifth-wettest Canada Day on record, where 11.2 mm of rain fell.

The weather agency says there is a chance of more rain in the forecast until Thursday of this week, but the river level at the Overlanders Bridge is down to 7.293 metres as of 10:35 a.m. today, a drop from 7.494 metres recorded at 11:40 a.m. yesterday.