The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has declared a state of local emergency in the Electoral Area D of near Grand Forks, and issued evacuation orders and alerts as the Kettle River water level continues to rise.

Ten residences south of 68th Street in rural Grand Forks, in the South Johnston Flats area, are under evacuation order, as well as a further 11 residences in the Manly Meadows and Gilpin Road area.

The RDKB has also issued a number of evacuation alerts in the area and beyond.

Evacuation alerts remain in place for 34 properties on 12th St, while an additional 591 properties across the Boundary region were placed on evacuation alert late Thursday evening.

Those 591 properties are located in Electoral Areas C/Christina Lake; D/Rural Grand Forks and E/West Boundary along the Kettle and Granby Rivers, and Christina Lake waterways.

A full list of evacuation orders and alerts issued by the RDKB can be found online.

The BC River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the Boundary region, noting that rivers are expected to keep rising due to snowmelt runoff until Friday, which will be followed by moderate to heavy rainfall.

Currently the Granby River is currently flowing in the two-to-five-year flow range, but this could rise to levels that reflect a 10-year to 20-year flow.

Peak river levels are expected on Saturday through Monday.