The City of Merritt says it hopes to allow people who have properties in Phase 4 of the return home plan day access starting this Friday, Dec. 3.

“This is very contingent on many factors including what happens with the current weather system advancing towards Merritt, and how well our reinforcements along the Coldwater River hold as river levels rise,” Emergency Information Officer, Greg Lowis, said.

“Infrastructure is still greatly impacted and crews continue to work on flushing and sampling our water system to ensure the system is safe for Merritt residents.”

Residents in this part of Merritt will be told by Thursday, Dec. 2, if they will be able to go back to their properties at the end of this week.

Lowis told NL News Monday that the City is keeping a very close eye on the forecast for the rest of the week as the third in a series of increasingly powerful storms hits the province.

“[We are] in daily contact with the Environmental Health Staff at Interior Health, who are responsible for certifying our water system,” he said. “If water overtops the banks and flooding occurs, then the infrastructure may once again be affected and plans to allow the return of residents in Phase 3 and Phase 4 may be set back.”

Phases 3 and 4 of Merritt’s return home plan include all properties south of Nicola Avenue, with Phase 4 “[presenting] the greatest challenge, as all properties are still without consumable water and sewer, and there are varying degrees of flood damage and hazards.”

“Plans and preparations are being made to withstand this storm, but until we experience what the outcome is, it is extremely difficult to give definitive answers to our residents,” Lowis added.

“While Merritt may not be forecast to get significant amounts of rain, the Coldwater River watershed reaches all the way up into the Coquihalla and covers over 300 square kilometres, and therefore it is impacted by multiple environmental elements and weather systems.”

Residents in Phases 1 and 2, north of Nicola Avenue, were allowed back home earlier this month though they remain on evacuation alert.