British Columbia Floods: Abbotsford Drives Water Flow to Sumas Prairie, Levee Repairs Continue | The Canadian News

The city of Abbotsford has stopped the flow of floodwater into the Sumas Prairie, but repairs to the levee protecting the lowlands continue.

The city announced the progress via Twitter.

Engineers and contractors, supported by the Canadian Armed Forces, have been racing to repair the broken levees surrounding the key agricultural area, before more rains are forecast for this week.

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says the Fraser River had fallen enough that the city partially opened a floodgate and began draining water from the flooded Sumas River. It had been flowing into the Sumas meadow through gaps in the levee.

As of Saturday, the city relied solely on the Barrowtown pump station to move the water. Braun toured the pump station on Sunday to assess water levels and receive a staff update.

The city also shared a new image of the damage to Highway 1 on Sunday, illustrating the scale of repairs needed for the main route through the Fraser Valley.

The freeway remains closed in both directions between McCallum Road and Yale Road, with no estimated time to reopen. Drivers detour onto Downes Road.

At least 119 Canadian soldiers have been deployed to Abbotsford, and a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177 Globemaster arrived at Abbotsford Airport on Saturday afternoon, delivering three CH-146 Griffon helicopters from the 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron to assist with the flood rescue efforts.

Abbotsford officials are scheduled to provide an update on the Sumas Prairie flood response at 2 p.m. PST on Sunday.

Global News will broadcast the briefing live here and on our Facebook page.