Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford, B.C. likely to remain underwater for weeks, mayor says
The mayor of Abbotsford says "it will likely be weeks" before all of the floodwater has been pumped out of the eastern Sumas Prairie.
Mayor Henry Braun told reporters the rain falling on the South Coast Thursday has slowed the city's Barrowtown Pump Station in its efforts to remove the water from the flooded region, but water levels were not rising Thursday.
"It will likely be weeks before we can pump all the water from the still-flooded portion of the Sumas Prairie," Braun said.
With the first of three storms currently bearing down on the province and two more on the way, the mayor said he's concerned more flooding from the Nooksack River in Washington State could make its way north through Abbotsford and undo a lot of the work that's been done to drain the prairie over the last week.
"Over the past week, we have put every effort toward ensuring that we are as ready as we can be should the worst-case scenario occur and we experience floodwaters moving north from Washington state again," Braun said.
The mayor explained that the pump station can reduce water levels in the prairie by "six-to-eight inches per day" during dry conditions.
"This is, of course, impacted by any rainfall and runoff from the Vedder and Sumas mountains, but as I mentioned, we are still moving in a positive direction right now," Braun said.
All of Sumas Prairie is under a "do not use water" notice because of water main breaches that may allow contaminated floodwater into the drinking water system in the area.
Those breaches are underwater in the eastern portion of the prairie, according to Braun. Repairs to those breaches and environmental assessments of the flooded areas cannot be completed until all of the floodwater recedes, the mayor said.
He said additional pumps have been brought in to help drain water from the former Sumas Lake bed faster, but they have a much lower capacity than the Barrowtown Pump Station.
"They pump 25,000 gallons a minute, which is a small fraction of what the Barrowtown pumps (can do)," Braun said. "There are no pumps to replace Barrowtown or to get anywhere even close to what Barrowtown is pumping. They are going full-out. We have never run those pumps full-tilt for this long, ever, so we are fingers-crossed that they're going to hold."
The Barrowtown Pump Station is used to keep the former lake bed dry. It pumps water out of the Sumas Prairie and into the Fraser River. The station also has floodgates that hold back the Sumas River near where it meets the Fraser. Those gates were opened last week once the Fraser had receded enough to make doing so feasible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.