For those of us living on the
south side of Cranbrook, the rising waters of Elizabeth Lake have lately been a source of concern and curiosity. For some they have been costly. So in this the sixth week of high water, we ask, " Is this another symptom of
climate change, blocked culverts, an anomaly that will pass or a combination of
many factors?" In any
case, whatever the problems, according to City administration sources, it does
not appear as though the flooding will be going away quickly. All
overseeing parties have been meeting, we are told, to discuss the problem and
look for ways to deal with it.
In
October of 2012 when climate change expert Bob Sandford came to Cranbrook he
said, “We are entering a period in which water is going to do things we haven't
seen it do before. Examples from elsewhere in Canada suggest changes in
the global water cycle have already begun to affect the hydrology of
significant parts of the country with clear implications for everyone
living downstream.” We, in Cranbrook have been advised by our municipal administration
that we need to be alert to the possibility of flooding this weekend especially
with the predicted high rainfall. Sand for sandbagging has been made
available.
Certainly
this is not a common occurrence in Cranbrook and those long time residents
familiar with Elizabeth Lake have never seen the area with water as high as it
is today.
Over
this last week we have published several interesting and relevant historical
articles from the Cranbrook Courier and we would like to thank the Cranbrook
Museum of Rail Travel Archives for making that information available:
Some
facts:
Elizabeth
Lake was once a marsh. Archaeological
records also show it was once a popular camping and hunting location for the
Ktunaxa en route south.
After
Cranbrook was settled, the creeks running through the town became an annual
source of problems, dividing the town and creating wet temporary marshes.
In
1929, the City began construction of almost 5,000 feet of a thirty-inch diameter
pipe to carry water through the town. This project was completed a few
years later and successfully mitigated many of the spring flooding issues but
not all. The pipe is still in place and still working.
In
1939, the Land Board of the time granted permission to build a dam across the
marsh (now Elizabeth Lake) at the south end of town in order to create an area
suitable for waterfowl year round.
A
new weir was recently installed by Ducks Unlimited at the same height and location
as the original dam.
In
1944, the City of Cranbrook commissioned an engineer to investigate and report on underground water seepage problems, after a 1943 spring of significantly high
water and flooding in the downtown area despite the concrete pipe.
In
this report it stated, “The above facts seem to the writer to prove
beyond any reasonable doubt that the flooding of the swamp(now Elizabeth Lake) is the
direct cause of the flooding of the city.” The report goes on to suggest that if the
ground water rises above a certain level at the swamp due to flooding, the
effects of the rising water table will spread into Cranbrook and cause flooding
problems at a later date potentially up to a year later. The layering of clay deposits and gravel
beds it states, are factors in the complicated flooding issues. Optional remedies in the report of that time
both suggested that excess water needed
to be drained through cut trenches and taken through the city either by pumping
or permanent drainage though the clay layers to gravel deposits.
All these photos were taken in the last week, the second week of May 2014. They follow the course of Jim Smith Creek from Elizabeth Lake to the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. It is interesting to note that there appear to be several bottlenecks for the water to navigate before entering the the large culvert just south of the Railway Museum parking area.
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| high water at Elizabeth Lake flooding trails , benches and bird blinds |
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| water being pumped across Wattsville and into a continuation of Jim Smith Creek |
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| entering the culvert under Highway 3/95 at the Heritage Motel location - water covering the top of the culvert |
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| pump attached to storm sewer at the Heritage Motel location |
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| across the highway and exiting culvert just north of the Kootenay Treehouse building shown below, top of the culvert can just be seen |
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| creek flowing between CPR access road and properties on west side of highway 3/95 - follow the willow trees |
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| flowing in the open until it disappears in a short culvert under the buildings at the top of the picture |
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| culvert exit to the left |
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| water exits culvert |
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| flowing freely behind the FasGas location |
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| creek approaching a culvert which takes water under the Prestige Inn property |
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| entering a the culvert which takes the water underneath the Prestige property, Van Horne Park |
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| exiting the Prestige culvert in the small park, Van Horne Park, adjacent to the Railway Museum |
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| flowing freely through park |
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| entering the sewer system built in the 1930s to take the creek through and under the city - the creek can be accessed under some buildings via manhole covers |
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| a closer look as the water disappears under the city According to the historic articles, water takes approximately 18 minutes to reach the confluence with Joseph Creek. In the photo it can be seen to be flowing freely and with plenty of room in this location. |
Post Script
This letter came to us from Marelon Bjorkaes
1800 Caldwell Road
She asked that it be posted on behalf of all the residents of Caldwell Road who have read the letter and requested that we post it. The letter is a response to comments after this post on the Elizabeth Lake Flood.
I want to comment on Gerry Warner's May 21
reply to Steward Wilson's article and comments.
First of all, Mr. Warner, the Oxford
Dictionary defines "flood" as "An overflow of a large amount of
water beyond its normal limits, especially over what is normally dry
land." http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/flood?q=flood
It's glaringly obvious that the situation
around Elizabeth Lake and along the creek to the south meets that criteria. It
is a huge amount of water, it has overflowed far beyond it's normal limits and
it is now covering land that is normally dry. I know, I own some of that land!
I have to ask what Mr. Warner's objection is to calling a flood a flood? What
is the benefit and who benefits from denying the obvious?
To minimize this situation as an
'inconvenience' is callous and dismissive. Tens and perhaps hundreds of
thousands of dollars of damage have been sustained by property owners in downed
fencing, flooded outbuildings, ruined machinery and equipment stuck in mud
where it has never been muddy before, loss of stored hay, loss of grazing
pasture, damage to septic tank fields and loss of lifestyle choices. Perhaps
most importantly, there is the loss of peace of mind that is causing profound
worry and loss of sleep among the residents affected by the flood. People
within Cranbrook City limits have sustained damage as well - along Innes Ave.
If Mr. Warner is unaware of these losses, damage and impacts, it is not to his
credit. To date I have not been contacted by a single City employee or
official.
I take exception to Mr. Warner's remark
that the residents who have land that is flooded 'chose to live beside an
unregulated body of water.' Mr. Warner, before I purchased the property I now
own, I specifically researched whether this area is a flood plain. It is NOT.
That might be because it has never been flooded here before. Every year, the
level of Elizabeth Lake would rise to a certain level in the spring then drop
in the summer and autumn.
It is true that on most of these properties
around the lake and creek, there has been a collection of water every spring in
low spots due to frozen ground and surface snow melting before the deeper
ground defrosts. There is literally no place for the water to go until the
deeper ground defrosts, which it always did in due time. That, by the way, is
an "inconvenience." In the 14 years that I have lived here, every
year until 5 years ago, the water in the low spots was gone by July and even
the muddy areas were dry by August. It was possible to open up the low areas of
property to allow animals to graze. I could walk around the perimeter of my
property to inspect fences.
In the summer and Autumn of 2013 I
attempted to reach and repair fences in the lower acre of my property and
discovered I could not reach them, even with chest waders on. The water was too
deep and it stayed at that level. It was at least 2 feet higher than it had
ever been before. I'm ashamed to say that at that time, I did not know that a
new dam had been built. I was never informed of it. Nor was I ever informed
that storm drains from the new subdivisions to the east of Elizabeth Lake would
be draining into the Lake.
In any event, with that much water already
in the Lake basin in the Autumn, it stands to reason that any additional water
from Spring melts would be forced to go somewhere!
I would like to ask Mr. Warner exactly
what he is implying with the phrase "chose to live beside an unregulated body of water?"
In the early 1960's in Port Alberni, properties and homes that were miles away from the Alberni Inlet were flooded by
a tsunami. They certainly had not chosen to live near an unregulated body of
water. Their choice did not protect them.
As for being unregulated, decades ago Ducks
Unlimited was granted the right to control the level of Elizabeth Lake with the
weir located at the north end of the lake, and DU says the City of Cranbrook
asked for and was given permission to control the new dam.
BC is a province of coastline, mountain
ranges and valleys; a large percentage of BC's population lives beside those
seacoast, rivers, lakes and creeks. For that matter a large percentage of the
Earth's population lives in areas that are prone to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
floods, landslides, tornados, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural
disasters. Shall we dismiss their plight when the disaster happens? After all,
they all chose to live in those vulnerable areas.
Actually, after pondering this question, I
tried to think of one place on earth that has never experienced any disaster.
Then I got really naughty and wondered if we should shrug off the victims of
plane crashes because they chose to get on that plane? Should we dismiss the
victims of car crashes because they chose to get into that car? Maybe we should
imply that people who live in buildings that collapse should not have made that choice?
I would like to make the point that
Elizabeth Lake is not only not a flood plain; it is not even a natural lake. It's a slough that was
damned up to make a stable - STABLE - environment for the nesting of ducks, and
to prevent the City from suffering floods every spring. That original dam
served those purposes without flooding all adjacent property. A representative of
Ducks Unlimited has stated positively that the new dam is exactly the same
height and width as the old one. How is it that the water of the Lake is at
never-before-seen heights? If it is not the new dam, what is holding the water back? And where is all this
water coming from?
If, as is being stated by the Mayor and
repeated by various officials, elected and otherwise, the flooding at Elizabeth
Lake is the result of global warming, an early melt and an extra wet spring (
which no-one has provided evidence of) then why aren't other local areas
affected? The ponds out near Wasa remained completely dry until the 17th
and 18th of May. Interestingly, no-one from the City has mentioned
the new storm drains that empty into Elizabeth Lake! Could that possibly have
an impact on how much water is pouring into Elizabeth Lake- and how fast?
I will agree with Mr. Warner that there are
several stages to the spring melt - and in my experience yes, the worst may yet
come. It is also true that no-one has been driven from their house - yet. From
Mr. Warner's comments it would be possible to assume that it is acceptable for
a city counsellor to pat him or herself on the back until we are driven from our homes.
Well, get ready. 1/3 of my house is built
on sona tubes. The saturated ground reaches well beyond the apparent perimeter
of the water. Groundwater can push up anything that has been sunk into the
ground - or drag it down into the mud. It remains to be seen if it will push up
sona tubes with the weight of an addition sitting on them or if the saturated
ground will pull those sona tubes down. I've heard some ominous creaking the
last few days. At what point am I allowed to get good and angry at the City's
demonstrated and publicly stated indifference to the plight of those of us who
live down here, many of whom looked forward to a happy retirement? "Right from
the beginning we were very clear that we're not willing to flood out Cranbrook
residents to lower Elizabeth Lake any more than the system holds," Stetski said at council
meeting. From The Cranbrook Townsman website http://www.dailytownsman.com/breaking_news/260279891.html
Should I wait until this
"inconvenient" situation creates cracks in my walls? Or should I stay
calm and cooperative and play nice until the addition actually is pushed up or
sinks and pulls away from the rest of the house? Should I wait until there is
visible damage to the roof? Or perhaps the windows will pop out - is that the
point at which this situation changes from an "inconvenience" to a
disaster?
Oh dear, I think I just did some 'armchair
quarterbacking,' to quote Mr. Warner's term. How presumptuous of me. Just
because I've lost the use of 2/3 of my property, lost the fencing on 2 acres,
have seen my sundeck sink 3 inches and can figure out that my property has been
devalued to a degree that can only be guessed at, any comments I or other
residents so affected cannot ask questions and offer suggestions without being
called arm-chair quarterbacks? I always thought we live in a country with laws
about freedom of speech.
If this is merely an inconvenience why are
so many people driving along Caldwell Road to have a look at the flood? Can
Cranbrook residents be so bored that they are willing to drive around looking
at other people's 'inconveniences?"
One last question : if this is merely an
inconvenience, how is it that the City obtained funds from the Provincial
Emergency Management Fund to pay for the totally inadequate pumping that has
gone on at Wattsville Road? Isn't the Emergency Management Fund for
emergencies? Not inconveniences, Mr. Warner, emergencies.
Mr. Warner, many of the owners of property
that has been flooded or saturated, are retired or nearing retirement. To lose
the value of our major asset, our property, at a time in our lives when we
cannot rebuild, is traumatizing. If you don't understand these things at least
please don't minimize them.
I personally believe the least you can do
now is apologize to the good people whose lives have been disrupted.
Marelon
Bjorkaes
1800
Caldwell Road
Gerry Warner reponded:
Gerry Warner reponded:
Hello
Marelon Bjorkaes. The reason why I made some comments in The Guardian that were
factually incorrect, and for which I apologize unequivocally, is that there has
been precious little face-to-face discussion about the difficulties Elizabeth
Lake residents have been experiencing this spring because of the unusually high
water on the lake. However, I take exception to you accusing me of armchair
quarterbacking you about the lake situation because until I read your letter
today (June 2) I didn’t even know you existed. My remark was directed at
several comments sent to me and other councillors that criticized the City for
using pumps to lower the lake and a few days later condemned the City for not
running the pumps! Obviously nothing will be solved by that. Meanwhile, as talk
of litigation fills the air, nothing concrete is being done about the situation
and the last thing that would help – and you may agree with me on this – is to
turn it over to lawyers. That would be very costly for both parties and could
take years. In light of this, please allow me to make a suggestion. As a
councillor myself, let me try to set up a closed-door meeting between Elizabeth
Lake residents being flooded and senior City staff to thrash out options to deal
with the problem now and not wait for some potential legal remedy that may or
may not come in the distant future. Let’s roll up our sleeves and like good
neighbors do what we can to remedy a situation that’s admittedly traumatizing
and disruptive to all of you at the south end of the lake. This isn’t rocket
science. Together if we start to communicate face-to-face, we can solve it.
Otherwise the alternative is hand it to the lawyers. That’s the last thing we
need.
Councillor
Gerry Warner.
After almost 50 years of closely watching spring runoff in the Kootenays, I’ve learned a few things. The most important thing about runoff is that it comes in stages and there’s usually at least three crests before it’s over. In the case of Joseph Creek, the first crest was in March, unusually early, and that may be contributing to the high water table we’re experiencing now. Joseph Creek may have reached its second crest this weekend but that means there’s still one to go and how high it gets will depend on the weather and the remaining snowpack. As for Elizabeth Lake, I expect it will continue to rise slowly for several weeks yet because lakes always crest later than streams and there’s the matter of the antiquated, and quite possibly partially plugged, culverts holding the lake back and the fact that it’s also fed by underground springs that are running strong because of the high water table. Beyond the pumping already taking place, there’s not much the City can do now until the lake starts to go down. After that, it’s likely going to be culvert cleanout and replacement time.
ReplyDeleteDespite the Elizabeth Lake situation, the biggest problem may not have happened yet because it’s mid-May and the snowpack is around 130 per cent of normal. In the next few weeks, if we get several days or a week of hot weather followed by rain there’s going to be trouble. Big trouble! The last 200-year flood level crest in the Kootenays and the rest of the province was 1894 when the Columbia, Kootenay and Fraser River systems went considerably above the flood of 1948. B.C. Archives has pictures of the 1894 flood taken in Kaslo, Kamloops, Mission and other places too. And the next 200-year level crest could be even higher because of Global warming, clear-cut logging and urbanization which all cause the runoff to occur more quickly. Keep an eye on the weather. The next few weeks could be very interesting.
Gerry Warner
Gerry Warner writes, "Beyond the pumping already taking place, there’s not much the City can do now until the lake starts to go down. After that, it’s likely going to be culvert cleanout and replacement time."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the residents at the south end of Elizabeth Lake feel the same way? Or residents who live in the new subdivision off Wattsville Street? Or the owners or guests at the Elizabeth Lake Lodge who have had to listen to two or three pumps running from early in the morning till late at night for more than six weeks?
I would have thought that in this day and age the City would be able to devise some siphoning system similar to those used in agriculture, which could run fairly noiselessly and effectively 24/7.
Is there no way that the City can safely unplug the culvert(s) under Wattsville Street and control the rate of water flowing downstream without waiting for the water level to drop?
Does anyone at City Hall know how long it will be before the water level drops to normal levels? The water level has remained fairly constant for the past few weeks.
Is the City confident that the roadway can withstand the pressure of water which has been close to the height of the road since early April?
Surely we can do better than wait for the water level to drop before finding safe alternatives?
I appreciate Stewart Wilson’s comments on the high water at Elizabeth Lake, but calling it a “flood” is a bit of a stretch despite the inconvenience it’s causing residents at the south-west end of the lake, none of whom have been forced from their homes, and for whatever reasons chose to live beside an unregulated water body. As for the siphon suggestion, I have no way of knowing if this would work or not, but if Stewart would like to provide me with more information I’d be glad to pass on to the City Engineering Dept. Anything is worth a try. However, common sense says other suggestions Stewart made would simply not work. If the City simply tore out the culvert under Wattsville Rd. now, gravity being what it is, would result in a rush of water downstream and this time it would be a “flood.” A flood affecting much of downtown Cranbrook! Conversely, the City is NOT confident that Wattsville Rd. itself can hold back Elizabeth Lake as it rises, which is why the pumps were set up to ensure that enough water gets through to stabilize the lake and reduce flooding as much as possible at both ends of the lake. Pumping at night has almost ceased as the City tries to do all it can to reduce inconvenience to everyone affected by the noise.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, I think the City is doing the best it can in a tricky situation and some of the armchair quarterbacking going on over the situation is unwarranted.
Gerry Warner
Good to hear Mayor Stetski give an update on the situation on CBC Daybreak South this morning.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous - unfortunately we cannot print your comment as our policy is for verifiable names to be on the comment. Our policy is on the right hand side of the blog. We cannot remove the Anonymous option as it is part of the program. If you would like to submit your comment again with a verifiable name, we will print it.
ReplyDeleteHello Marelon Bjorkaes. The reason why I made some comments in The Guardian that were factually incorrect, and for which I apologize unequivocally, is that there has been precious little face-to-face discussion about the difficulties Elizabeth Lake residents have been experiencing this spring because of the unusually high water on the lake. However, I take exception to you accusing me of armchair quarterbacking you about the lake situation because until I read your letter today (June 2) I didn’t even know you existed. My remark was directed at several comments sent to me and other councillors that criticized the City for using pumps to lower the lake and a few days later condemned the City for not running the pumps! Obviously nothing will be solved by that. Meanwhile, as talk of litigation fills the air, nothing concrete is being done about the situation and the last thing that would help – and you may agree with me on this – is to turn it over to lawyers. That would be very costly for both parties and could take years. In light of this, please allow me to make a suggestion. As a councillor myself, let me try to set up a closed-door meeting between Elizabeth Lake residents being flooded and senior City staff to thrash out options to deal with the problem now and not wait for some potential legal remedy that may or may not come in the distant future. Let’s roll up our sleeves and like good neighbors do what we can to remedy a situation that’s admittedly traumatizing and disruptive to all of you at the south end of the lake. This isn’t rocket science. Together if we start to communicate face-to-face, we can solve it. Otherwise the alternative is hand it to the lawyers. That’s the last thing we need.
ReplyDeleteCouncillor Gerry Warner.