City of Merritt monitoring rise in Coldwater River

The City of Merritt continues to work with the BC River Forecast Center and has observed a rise in the Coldwater River at the Brookmere gauge. In a news release issued Sunday, the city says this provides an approximately a 8-hour lead time until there is a corresponding rise at Merritt. The current trajectory of the water levels indicates that flooding in Merritt is a possibility.

All residents under an Evacuation Order (everywhere south of Nicola Avenue) need to leave the area by 3 p.m. today (Sunday). Emergency response personnel will not be conducting a door-to-door notification, as this area has been under Evacuation Order since November 15th.

Day access will be suspended until further notice after 3 pm today (Sunday) due to rising river levels and weather risks over the coming days. Residents are encouraged to retrieve their most important documents and items today.

City of Merritt crews are actively working to protect critical infrastructure, repair dykes, and reinforce banks along the Coldwater River. Fortifications have been placed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and at sanitary manholes to limit infiltration of flood waters. Flood protection measures are also being placed at strategic locations and engineers continue to assess the river banks.