Penticton rushing to prepare creeks

City of Penticton crews are working hard to get Penticton and Ellis Creeks ready before the freshet reaches its peak this spring.

Work crews are creating additional rock armouring to prevent the banks of the creeks from being eroded by the fast-moving water, removing accumulated debris and trying to prevent more from entering by securing at-risk trees with steel wire.

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be other trees and wood debris that comes floating down,” said city engineer Ian Chapman, but they are trying to lessen the potential problem.

The work underway on Penticton and Ellis creeks is the result of months of planning, preparedness and design, and is being done in accordance with a permit from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

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Chapman also noted the work in Penticton Creek is not part of the ongoing restoration work that started in 2015 with the showcase project along the downtown portion of the creek.

They’re two separate projects, Chapman said, noting the next stage of restoration work is planned for later this summer, after having to be cancelled last summer.

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Chapman said he’s not aware of any spawning beds in the areas that are being worked on, but they are trying to limit any effects on habitat, even working with an environmental consultant who checks daily and makes sure fish are cleared from the work area.

While work in Penticton Creek is going as planned, Mother Nature beat the city to it with rising waters forcing an update to the plans. Chapman said they had to get special approval from the province, under emergency preparedness, to be able to work on the creek.

Last week Mayor Andrew Jakubeit signed a state of emergency document, which he extended Monday. “State of emergency,” is a bit misleading in this case — there is no active emergency, but the document extends the city’s ability to work around Ellis Creek and its higher water levels.

“The one I signed this morning was just extending the works, mainly to do work along the creek to remove debris or the potential for debris to fall in the creek,” said Jakubeit on Monday.

Phillip Cooper, the city’s communications officer, explains that declaring a state of local emergency allows local authorities to use powers listed in the Emergency Program Act.

“It’s the legislation we have access to do certain things, which could be quite small, or it could be extreme, depending on the circumstances,” said Cooper.