Water system, road repairs for Harrison Lake residents to take weeks, says district

It could be two to three weeks — or longer — before residents affected by massive road washouts over the weekend along the east side of Harrison Lake get road access restored and repairs completed to their water system, according to the district.

The District of Kent released a statement on Monday saying the state of emergency issued on Saturday, along with an evacuation order, has not ended.

"The public is asked to stay away from the area and only emergency crews and local traffic may enter the site. Security and police will continue to be present in the affected area," the statement from the district read.

For Kristy Molnar, who operates the Rockwell Harrison Guest Lodge, the worst of the damage that affected her neighbours' properties spared the lodge, but the loss of business will be a blow to the operation, and the remaining drinking water in her two large hot water heaters won't last long.

"No one has shown up anywhere, from the district or anywhere with fresh water for anyone in the area," said Molnar on Monday evening.

She's been getting water to flush the toilets and wash dishes from the road in front of the lodge that turned into a river on the weekend, as it tore the asphalt apart and washed away large chunks. But that water has slowed and returned to its original streams.

Molnar says they're lucky to have electricity, cable, and internet still, but road access has been limited and the lack of water means she has been forced to cancel bookings and block off the lodge's availability for the next two or three weeks.

"Well it is a hit, yeah. That's our main income," she said.

Molnar described a harrowing scene in her neighbourhood on Saturday, about six kilometres north of Harrison Hot Springs.

Rushing water swept into her neighbour's properties, flooding basements, and destroying landscaping and fences in its path.

"One of our neighbours was swept down and got caught under a fence and almost drowned," she said. "He was rescued by another neighbour — I mean we were all in shock, because the impact was so fast and it degraded so fast."

The six guests at the lodge were stuck there an extra night before they could be escorted out on foot. Molnar said they left their vehicles parked at the lodge — at least one vehicle is a rental from the U.S. which will have to be retrieved at some point.

She said most of the neighbours in the two dozen or so houses in her area stayed, despite an evacuation order issued by the District of Kent on Saturday, which advised residents that "search and rescue along with the RCMP provided residents notice to close all windows and doors, shut off gas, take critical items like medicine and valuables and lock down their premises."

The District of Kent said "if all goes well," work to restore the potable water system and the road could take two to three weeks.

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