Ranchers relieved as Chilcotin River water levels recede

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Ranchers in the Cariboo region are relieved water levels are receding, after the Chilcotin River spilled its banks and created one of the biggest floods the region has ever seen last week.

But rancher Randy Saugstad says the flooding could have impacts later this year.

“We should be starting to hay now and it’s way too wet to be haying and plus, we’ve lost quite a bit of hay under the mud,” he says. “So the ministry has promised us they’re going to supply hay for us, anybody that’s short of hay this winter.”

Saugstad adds the area isn’t in the clear yet, as the forecast calls for more rain.

“It’s just wet and muddy and big channels and ditches everywhere that got to be refilled, and buildings – put gravel back under, and lots of fences down. A lot of restoration to restore the stream channels again, put the streams back where they belong.”

The Cariboo Regional District says its emergency operations centre is turning towards recovery, but is still asking people who don’t live there to avoid the area. Damage to residential homes appears to be minimal, the district says, but the impact on outbuildings, hayfields, irrigation channels and fencing was significant.

“I think everybody’s got some kind of road access now, not very good roads but at least you can go like one lane or whatever,” Saugstad says. “We still got another week – they’re forecasting rain every day. Not a lot, but right now we should be in the middle of summer haying, but we’re not.”

Much of the hundreds of kilometres of land that flooded remains underwater, and impacts on agricultural operations are being called “significant.”