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-neighbours乌鸦传媒� property, the Knights.

乌鸦传媒淣ow we乌鸦传媒檝e heard they乌鸦传媒檝e merged the water from the mountains with this creek,乌鸦传媒� said Seidel Thursday. 乌鸦传媒淚f that happens, we乌鸦传媒檒l have a humongous creek. It should never be that close乌鸦传媒� in a neighbourhood.乌鸦传媒�

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 neighbours乌鸦传媒� 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.

乌鸦传媒淚 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,乌鸦传媒� says Schwartz, who乌鸦传媒檚 86. 乌鸦传媒淚f I had a Cat, I乌鸦传媒檇 do it, I乌鸦传媒檝e built lots of roads. They need to check it 乌鸦传媒� if they have too much of a grade they乌鸦传媒檇 have to go higher.乌鸦传媒�

Otherwise, he says, some kind of flume should be put in their neighbours乌鸦传媒� yard so the water doesn乌鸦传媒檛 seep everywhere.

Adds Seidel: 乌鸦传媒淲hy run it along the road for a long length of space and then flood somebody乌鸦传媒檚 field first before they乌鸦传媒檙e going to get to the river?乌鸦传媒�

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 ministry乌鸦传媒檚 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 they乌鸦传媒檙e passing the buck.

乌鸦传媒淲e pay our taxes too. I don乌鸦传媒檛 know if they think it乌鸦传媒檚 okay to have a board thing over the ditch 乌鸦传媒� I don乌鸦传媒檛 know what乌鸦传媒檚 up with them.乌鸦传媒�

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 Daniel乌鸦传媒檚 barnyard and has been threatening their son乌鸦传媒檚 home.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e very lackadaisical about doing anything about it,乌鸦传媒� remarked Narcisse of MOTI. 乌鸦传媒淲e could have accepted this as a quick fix, but it乌鸦传媒檚 gone on now for over a week.乌鸦传媒�

The couple said they won乌鸦传媒檛 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 Schwartz乌鸦传媒檚 idea, Welsh said he had suggested the creek be diverted down Sellenback Road, north of where water came down in the 1600 block.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 downhill all the way to the river, but there乌鸦传媒檚 an elevation difference there and they would have to go and divert the water uphill behind the Knight property. They apparently can乌鸦传媒檛 do that because their jurisdiction is just concerning the right-of-way乌鸦传媒� If they go off the right-of-way they have to get forestry involved.乌鸦传媒�

Welsh said he was given a number to call the forest ministry, but no one got back to him. Then he decided it乌鸦传媒檚 really not his problem; it乌鸦传媒檚 MOTI who should be contacting them.

Welsh thinks the people with destroyed driveways deserve help.

乌鸦传媒淚 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.乌鸦传媒�