The Regional District of Central Kootenay has issued an evacuation alert for Six Mile around the Duhamel Creek fan. A map of the evacuation area is above and the list of the 121 properties affected is at bottom.
The RDCK say residents should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. They are suggesting preparing an emergency kit and moving pets and livestock to a safe area in case the situation gets worse and an evacuation order is issued.
Emergency operations manager Chris Johnson says the concern is due to the state of an orphan dike on the creek, which is potentially deteriorating during high water.
“It’s not because we’re super concerned about the creek topping its banks,” he says. “It’s more that that his old structure built decades ago could potentially come apart and unravel and result in the creek jumping its channel.”
Johnson says the RDCK has been looking at options for a permanent solution for the past couple of years and is in the midst of a study to get design options. He says repairing or replacing the dike would represent “a very significant piece of infrastructure” and cost “a fair amount of money” to operate and maintain.
For the moment, they have an excavator parked on the site and they are monitoring flow rates a couple of times a day. That monitoring will increase if the flows increase, Johnson says.
“That excavator is there, if it does unravel, to mitigate how much material ends up damming the creek,” he says.
The BC River Forecast Centre has issued a high streamflow advisory for the West Kootenay. River levels are rising or are expected to rise rapidly and may spill their banks or come close.
The RDCK warns everyone to stay away from the edges of watercourses and report any erosion or flooding to the Provincial Emergency Coordinator Centre at 1-800-663-3456.
A floodwatch has been issued for the entire West Kootenay. The RDCK says areas of concern include the Kaslo River below Kemp Creek, Slocan River at Crescent Valley, and various tributaries around Nelson and Creston.
The affected properties are as follows:
| 2047 BARNES RD | 2802 HWY 3A | 2776 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2848 BARNES RD | 2805 HWY 3A | 2786 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2851 BARNES RD | 2806 HWY 3A | 2796 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2854 BARNES RD | 2808 HWY 3A | 2803 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2859 BARNES RD | 2813 HWY 3A | 2804 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2863 BARNES RD | 2814 HWY 3A | 2808 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2867 BARNES RD | 2818 HWY 3A | 2810 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2871 BARNES RD | 2832 HWY 3A | 2816 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2876 BARNES RD | 2839 HWY 3A | 2818 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2879 BARNES RD | 2842 HWY 3A | 2822 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2883 BARNES RD | 2847 HWY 3A | 2825 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2884 BARNES RD | 2848 HWY 3A | 2830 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2888 BARNES RD | 2849 HWY 3A | 2830 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2889 BARNES RD | 2867 HWY 3A | 2835 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2827 DUHAMEL RD | 2888 HWY 3A | 2836 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2839 DUHAMEL RD | 2893 HWY 3A | 2839 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2845 DUHAMEL RD | 2896 HWY 3A | 2848 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2869 DUHAMEL RD | 2897 HWY 3A | 2854 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2873 DUHAMEL RD | 2905 HWY 3A | 2858 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2896 DUHAMEL RD | 2917 HWY 3A | 2864 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2898 DUHAMEL RD | 2709 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2868 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2899 DUHAMEL RD | 2714 LOWER SIX MILE RD (All Units) | 2872 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2905 DUHAMEL RD | 2719 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2875 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2676 HWY 3A | 2720 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2892 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2686 HWY 3A (All Units) | 2727 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2894 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2704 HWY 3A | 2727 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2897 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2722 HWY 3A | 2727 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2898 LOWER SIX MILE RD | |
| 2726 HWY 3A | 2727 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2851 TEES RD | |
| 2728 HWY 3A | 2729 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2861 TEES RD | |
| 2732 HWY 3A | 2737 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2879 TEES RD | |
| 2739 HWY 3A | 2738 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2882 TEES RD | |
| 2746 HWY 3A | 2745 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2887 TEES RD | |
| 2757 HWY 3A | 2750 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2889 TEES RD | |
| 2764 HWY 3A | 2751 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2897 TEES RD | |
| 2766 HWY 3A | 2754 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2898 TEES RD | |
| 2771 HWY 3A | 2756 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2915 TEES RD | |
| 2780 HWY 3A | 2764 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2917 TEES RD | |
| 2785 HWY 3A | 2768 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2923 TEES RD | |
| 2786 HWY 3A | 2769 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2925 TEES RD | |
| 2794 HWY 3A | 2772 LOWER SIX MILE RD | 2931 TEES RD | |
| 2795 HWY 3A | 2775 LOWER SIX MILE RD | ||