Warm weather this week has continued to break down an ice jam on the Nechako River.
The jam started forming on Jan. 18. A cold snap caused frazil ice, soft surface ice, to form on the Nechako and jam against the solid surface ice on the Fraser River.
With the warmer weather, the risk of a flood on the Nechako River remains low to moderate, "and probably closer to low," according to B.C. regional flood hazard officer Lyle Larsen said.
"Basically these warm temperatures has caused some good, thermal melting of the ice," Larsen said. "The warm temperatures have caused pockets of water to open up. Open water leads are increased in size as well."
It could take several more weeks of warm weather to melt the ice jam entirely, Larsen said. But with the water flow on the Nechako River at approximately 140 cubic metres per second, the chances of flood waters topping the river banks are low, he added.
"There is good freeboard through most of the lower section of the river ... the Cameron Street Bridge and downstream," Larsen said. "Upstream of the Hart Bridge there is less freeboard. We might see ice levels reach close to the top of the bank there."
Environment Canada technicians have drilled holes in the ice at Vanderhoof to get an accurate measure of the water flow, or discharge, on the river, Larsen said.
By combining the Vanderhoof flow and the flow on the open Stuart River, technicians are able to get an accurate measure of the water flowing on the Nechako at Prince George.
Ice build up can cause the automated water metres on the river, including Environment Canada's water gauge on the Nechako at Isle Pierre, to misread, Larsen said. On Thursday the automated water gauge at Isle Pierre was reporting water flows nearly double the actual discharge on Thursday.
In Prince George, Cottonwood Island Park and parts of the Heritage River Trails from the Cameron Street Bridge to Fort George Park remain closed until further notice.
