Could 2018 be a year of catastrophic flooding in the Lower Fraser River valley?
It’s too soon to say, but some of the early signs are not encouraging. There is a very heavy snowpack in much of the Fraser River drainage basin, which covers a good portion of the southern half of the province. Snow kept falling during March and early April, and during the remainder of April, only a small amount of snow melted.
Then in the latter part of April and early May, the temperatures soared – not only in the Lower Mainland, but in many parts of the province. Reports of flooding started coming several weeks ago, and they continue. There has been significant flooding in Cache Creek and Merritt, both of which are part of the Fraser basin, as well as in Osoyoos, Grand Forks and Keremeos. Grand Forks has been the hardest-hit thus far, with flood levels there matching 1948 – the year of the disastrous Fraser River flood.
The latter three communities lie within the Columbia River basin, and the water there will eventually flow into the United States. The reality is that the snowpack doesn’t play favourites with river basins.
On a trip to the Interior in late February, we were surprised at the depth of snow in the valley bottoms in the latter part of winter – places like Osoyoos, Keremeos, Vernon and Kamloops. On the mountain slopes, the depth of snow was wonderful for skiing and other winter sports, but it was also a troubling sign of potential problems in the spring. The snow continued to fall in many higher areas for another six or seven weeks, as drivers who used the Coquihalla Highway or Okanagan Connector at that time could attest to.
Higher temperatures, particularly if they last for several weeks, will cause the snow at higher elevations to melt very quickly. River levels are already quite high. A visit to Marina Park in Fort Langley last week showed that the water was just a few inches below the sidewalk that runs on the river side of the park. It will be covered with water soon.
The Fraser River in the valley had been rising slowly, but it has come up pretty quickly in recent days. Upstream at Prince George, the water levels are already high, and all that water is coming this way. However, the Fraser River is still far from the flood stage.
The 1948 flood, which is still remembered by many Langley residents, began in very similar ways. It was a cool spring, and there had been lots of snow over the winter months. Then in late May, the temperatures rose quickly. The flooding began in the Fraser Valley when dykes burst at Agassiz, late on May 24 – which was the holiday Monday. Five days later some 4,000 acres in Langley was flooded after dykes gave way just east of Fort Langley and further upriver at Glen Valley.
Fort Langley was turned into an island, surrounded by water on all sides. On the night the dykes gave way, Langley High School students were celebrating their graduation. The event was interrupted by a call to head to Fort Langley to help deal with the flooding. Most of the male students showed up to work there.
The damage from the flood in Langley, in 1948 dollars, amounted to $625,000. At that time, almost all the properties flooded were rural and most people did not have large homes and significant possessions. A car or truck was usually the most valuable thing they owned.
If there was ever flooding on such a scale in Langley again, damages would be in the hundreds of millions, at least. Some of the areas that were flooded in 1948 are now urban, most notably Bedford Landing in Fort Langley.
The chances of flooding this year are still quite low. The weather may cool down and the snow may take longer to melt. The dykes are in much better shape than they were in 1948, and newer homes built on lower land have had to meet stricter requirements to help avoid flooding.
Nonetheless, it is important to remember that flooding on a major scale took place in the Fraser Valley in 1948, and on an even larger scale in 1894. It can happen again.
Editor’s note: Since this column was written, an evacuation alert has been issued for unprotected, flood-prone areas of northwest Langley.
Frank Bucholtz is a former Langley Times editor. His opinions on subjects related to the South Fraser region can be found at bucholtz.blogspot.ca.
