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UPDATE: Rain brings floods to West Kelowna neighbourhood

Rain and melting snow are creating a slippery situation
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A combination of rain and melting snow left a section of Glenrosa Road and nearby homes flooded Wednesday. (Image Credit: David Ogilvie)

UPDATE: 1:25 p.m.

Record rainfall along with melting snow is being blamed for flooding in Glenrosa.

Rainwater, said West Kelowna engineer manager Rob Hillis, caused the ditches at certain crossroads in the area to fill to capacity.

“Fortunately we had our utilities crews, fire department and road contractor out there working till about 2 a.m.,” said Hillis. “They were able to control the flooding, get the water to where it is suppose to be and basically minimize the damage to residents.”

It’s unclear if the flooding could have been avoided given the amount of rainfall that fell during 24-hour period.

“It looks like the water did exceed the amount the system would be designed for which is typically a 100-year event,” Hillis said.

“We were just fortunate we had crews that worked to do what they could to minimize the damage there.”

Crews remain on site cleaning up and monitoring the situation as well as the weather.

“There are two properties that have had some flooding, I am not sure the details of the private properties but there has been some surface water and debris that has been taken down with the rain on some private properties,” explained Hillis.

The ditch system in the area will need some repairs to ensure it can properly function. Culverts will also be put in place and crews will ensure residents can effectively get to their residences.

Residents with concerns regarding the flooding are asked to call the City of West Kelowna

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A combination of rain and melting snow left a section of Glenrosa Road and nearby homes flooded Wednesday.

West Kelowna fire crews arrived to a location near Gates Road around 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday to help the situation.

A witness to the mess said a backhoe and an excavator were working in the area cleaning the gravel off the road and that fire crews were using shovels to clear the way.

An excavator was a couple blocks down from Gates road ditching and trying to fix a driveway culvert that was washed out shutting down the driveway to that home.

The flooding was believed to be caused by rain and snow melt coming down the West ditch of Glenrosa Road and above Gates Road.