The Port Alberni area caught a break Friday as far as flood waters are concerned.
Water levels in rivers and stream have subsided significantly, Mayor Mike Ruttan said Friday night.
“We’re down to about 300 cubic metres per second under the Riverbend Bridge,” which spans the Somass River in the city, he said. “At its high point, it was 1,100 cubic metres.”
Another plus is that the river water is running clear, not muddy, he said, an indication of decreased turbulence.
The hard-hit residents of the Tseshaht First Nation were able to return home, he added, but an evacuation alert covering 14 residences could be put in effect again if conditions change.
Between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain is expected between tonight and Sunday night, which could drive water flow back up to 1,100 cubic metres per second, Ruttan said. That could combine with a so-called king tide to lead to very high waters, he added.
“We’ll have city crews out checking and the Tseshaht First Nation have people ready to put out more sandbags. A lot more are ready to go should they be needed.”
Meanwhile, Sproat Lake is “a good two metres higher than it should be at this time of year,” Ruttan said, enough to affect septic fields and houses.
