Revelstoke’s rainy June and July have ballooned a beaver-dammed creek into a sizable pond over a service road and trail known as Streeter Street, challenging local recreational groups.
The non-status forestry road turned main exit route for the Ultimate Frisby trail currently sits under two feet of water in some sections.
Culverts in the road over the creek have managed to keep up with some seasonal flooding over the years, but the construction of another beaver dam closer to the route has finally pushed the flooding over the road.
“Last year we noticed it just over the surface of the road, but this year the snow melt brought it up and it hasn’t been able to get back down,” Liam Marshall, Revelstoke Snowmobile Club’s (RSC) general manager said. “With the lake growing in size there’s a concern that, if it doesn’t freeze in the winter, sledders might fall in”
Flooding in the area has even hindered access to BC Hydro transmission towers, with one tower in particular on a small hill in the middle of the deepest part of the water. The size of the flooding also means removing the dams requires a provincial Beaver Dam Removal application.
While mountain bikers are paddling through the section, trying not to disturb toadlets in the area, and dirt bikers are struggling to get through the lake without flooding engines, Marshall is working to find a solution to drain the pond before winter turns the area into a sheet of ice.
Currently plans are in place to add signage along the route warning sledders of the growing water hazard. But that won’t be the safe, long-term solution Marshall wants.
While RSC isn’t the only stakeholder for the road, Marshall has been the leading voice trying to find a solution. He attributes that to the typical downtime period for RSC lining up with seasonal flooding. Still, some government bodies are monitoring the flooding such as the B.C. Ministry of Forests eyeing floodings impacts to the nearby Jordan Forest Service Road.
Even with various organizations impacted, no solution is currently on the table and Marshall is worried future plans to bridge over the existing road or widen the culverts and drainage could become various recreation clubs’ financial burden to bear.
“If it comes down to just the clubs, I don’t think we’d be able to afford that,” Marshall said.
He’s also keeping one other stakeholder in mind and how solutions could lead to their future struggles: The beavers who call the area home.
“It’s a very nice dam, they have put some love into it and it’s in a good spot. What stops them from just coming back if the dam is wrecked or they’re relocated?”
Still, Marshall is concerned winter will come without any proper solution for the flooding even with the efforts of local recreational groups to fix the hazard.
“That’s the most frustrating thing. We’re doing everything we can, we’re trying to get the information and come up with suggestions. But everything just takes a long time because people just kick the can down the road.”
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