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Then and now: Oliver flooding swells over the course of a week

Even with the B.C. Wildfire Service on hand to sandbag, the increased flow is causing damage
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Water rushing down Sportsmens Bowl Road near the junction with Highway 97 spills over stacks of sandbags, even as B.C. Wildfire Service crews work to bolster the area’s barriers. Dustin Godfrey/Western News

What a difference a week makes.

Between April 11 and April 18, the flow of water through Sportsmens Bowl Road has seen a fairly major increase, and the deterioration of some infrastructure is evident.

Chunks of road are missing, and in areas depression in the edges of the road, now the banks of rushing creeks, is pronounced as the water gnaws at the ground that supports it.

The culvert that runs underneath Highway 97 previously had a pool with the surface a couple of metres below the road. Now, the surface is only about half a metre from the highway.

And now, as the efforts to mitigate the flooding ramps up, the B.C. Wildfire Service is on hand for a seven-day contract to fill and place sandbags in the area.

See our video comparing the flooding levels then and now below:

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Dustin Godfrey | Reporter
@dustinrgodfrey
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