BC Aware of Dike Problems Before Destructive Flooding in 2021, Documents Show

Officials with the B.C. government were aware of significant problems with dikes for several years before a series of atmospheric rivers flooded the community

A collapsed section of bridge destroyed by severe flooding is seen in Merritt, B.C., in an aerial view from a Canadian Forces reconnaissance flight on Nov. 22, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Officials with the British Columbia government and the City of Merritt were aware of significant problems with dikes for several years before a series of atmospheric rivers flooded the community, documents released through a freedom of information request show.

The documents obtained by the B.C. office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives show a registered professional engineer found numerous problems in 2018 with dikes protecting the community in the province’s southern Interior.