Florence Seidel and George Schwartz are not pleased with the plan to run a creek through a ditch alongside their front yard.

Seidel has lived in the 1600 block of Salmon River Road for about 40 years; Schwartz, her spouse, is also a longtime resident of the area.

On Saturday, April 22, they were two of the residents evacuated from a total of 10 Silver Creek homes when water let loose on the mountainside above, creating a mudslide that moved trees and boulders. The new stream of water jumped into the creek that, until then, had trickled through their next-door-neighbours91裸聊视频� property, the Knights.

91裸聊视频淣ow we91裸聊视频檝e heard they91裸聊视频檝e merged the water from the mountains with this creek,91裸聊视频� said Seidel Thursday. 91裸聊视频淚f that happens, we91裸聊视频檒l have a humongous creek. It should never be that close91裸聊视频� in a neighbourhood.91裸聊视频�

The former creek, named Anderson Creek on some maps, they know as Andrew Brook. It has flowed under Salmon River Road through a culvert by their neighbours91裸聊视频� fence for many years. That culvert filled with mud during the flooding, so the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) rerouted the greatly enlarged creek in order to get Salmon River Road open.

91裸聊视频淚 still think the simplest thing would be to put it along the forest road and down Haines Creek and get it out of the neighbourhood,91裸聊视频� says Schwartz, who91裸聊视频檚 86. 91裸聊视频淚f I had a Cat, I91裸聊视频檇 do it, I91裸聊视频檝e built lots of roads. They need to check it 91裸聊视频� if they have too much of a grade they91裸聊视频檇 have to go higher.91裸聊视频�

Otherwise, he says, some kind of flume should be put in their neighbours91裸聊视频� yard so the water doesn91裸聊视频檛 seep everywhere.

Adds Seidel: 91裸聊视频淲hy run it along the road for a long length of space and then flood somebody91裸聊视频檚 field first before they91裸聊视频檙e going to get to the river?91裸聊视频�

Seidel and Schwartz now have, instead of a driveway, a piece of plywood going over the new ditch, just as three other families on Salmon River Road do. The ministry will not respond to questions from the media about its plans or its approach to the flooding; the ministry91裸聊视频檚 communications staff say they are not allowed to comment on anything until after the provincial election.

However, Darcy Mooney, emergency operations centre director with the Shuswap Emergency Program, said last week he was told by MOTI that putting in culverts at the ends of driveways is the responsibility of the homeowner.

Seidel thinks they91裸聊视频檙e passing the buck.

91裸聊视频淲e pay our taxes too. I don91裸聊视频檛 know if they think it91裸聊视频檚 okay to have a board thing over the ditch 91裸聊视频� I don91裸聊视频檛 know what91裸聊视频檚 up with them.91裸聊视频�

Tom and Narcisse Welsh own a farm in the 1700 block of Salmon River Road, downhill from the flooding. Since April 22, their alfalfa field has been the recipient of the water rerouted down the ditch.

The water crossed the road via an existing culvert but, instead of heading for the Salmon River, it pooled in their field and began radiating toward their son Daniel91裸聊视频檚 barnyard and has been threatening their son91裸聊视频檚 home.

91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e very lackadaisical about doing anything about it,91裸聊视频� remarked Narcisse of MOTI. 91裸聊视频淲e could have accepted this as a quick fix, but it91裸聊视频檚 gone on now for over a week.91裸聊视频�

The couple said they won91裸聊视频檛 know how much damage has been done until the water dries up.

To try to stop the runoff, Tom and his son excavated a ditch along their north boundary on Sunday that terminates in the river. That meant highways would need to install a new culvert under the road and direct the water to their ditch.

Welsh called the Observer back Monday after an initial conversation earlier in the morning. He was pleasantly surprised that MOTI crews had arrived with a new culvert in hand.

Similar to Schwartz91裸聊视频檚 idea, Welsh said he had suggested the creek be diverted down Sellenback Road, north of where water came down in the 1600 block.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 downhill all the way to the river, but there91裸聊视频檚 an elevation difference there and they would have to go and divert the water uphill behind the Knight property. They apparently can91裸聊视频檛 do that because their jurisdiction is just concerning the right-of-way91裸聊视频� If they go off the right-of-way they have to get forestry involved.91裸聊视频�

Welsh said he was given a number to call the forest ministry, but no one got back to him. Then he decided it91裸聊视频檚 really not his problem; it91裸聊视频檚 MOTI who should be contacting them.

Welsh thinks the people with destroyed driveways deserve help.

91裸聊视频淚 asked them (MOTI) in return for us letting them get rid of the water through our property, they put culverts in for those people that they dug their driveway up. Whether anything will happen on that or not, who knows.91裸聊视频�