The reservoir spillway in Muskoseepi Park wasn’t damaged during the flooding Saturday night. Information Officer for the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership David Olinger says an assessment was done Monday.
“We’ve been managing the flow from the reservoir with gradual increases from the spillway,” he explains. “The peak water flow from the flash flooding has passed and the water levels in the creek are reduced now.”
Between the record snow on the ground for April and the quick switch from late winter to early summer weather, water levels reached extremely high levels Saturday. That prompted an emergency alert that urged the evacuation of the park and the Bear Creek corridor.
“There was some possibility that the water levels, if they continued to rise, could go over the spillway and that would cause more damage downstream,” says Olinger. ”
None of the bridges at 100 Avenue, 84 Avenue or 68 Avenue were damaged, but aerial footage of the area taken Sunday also showed potential creek bank erosion. Olinger says a more full assessment of the rest of Muskoseepi Park and the Bear Creek corridor need to be done.
“We know people are asking about when they can go back into the park. We’re hoping that that could happen some time in the next few days, but we want to make sure as the next couple of days pass we have a chance to check out the trails and the walking bridges and the slopes.”
Sand bags have also been placed around the Grande Prairie Museum and Heritage Village as a precaution. South Peace Regional Archives Executive Director says most of their archive materials were recently moved to an offsite office location.
“At this time, there has been no damage reported as a result of the flash flood, either to the Archives building or to the collections in our care. Staff will continue to monitor and assess the situation.”
There was also concern about the water levels in the Bear Creek near 116 Street Monday morning, and the road was in danger of being closed. However, Olinger says they are no longer a threat.
