Update on the Great Flood of ’21
By Jerry Rousseau
posted Feb 27, 2022
On November 14-15, 2021, a fifth consecutive ‘atmospheric river’ hit the southwest coast of British Columbia.
Record rainfall of up to 250mm proved more than the terrain could handle resulting in massive flooding and mudslides in several areas from Highway 99 near Pemberton, where 4 people were killed when their vehicle was swept off the road, to Abbotsford and the former Sumas Lake reasserting itself, to Merritt and Princeton where both towns found themselves underwater with little notice and even the WCTA’s home base of Hope, BC with 1200+ people stranded after all routes were cut-off by landslides and washouts.
Surf’s up in Sumas Flats, November 16, 2021 (image by Bert Bos)
When the rain stopped, astounding images showed us just how powerful and damaging this weather event was to major transportation infrastructure, property, farms, livestock, vehicles and anything else in the way including several golf courses, sportsfields and two sod farms.
Sod farms
In 1993, when Bert Bos bought land on Dixon Road in the Sumas flats area east of Abbotsford to start his family sod farm, he knew from the beginning there was flood potential. Over the years, there were rains and some minor flooding but when police arrived this past November 16 with an evacuation order in hand, it got serious.
Still, it wasn’t until he saw a neighbouring dairy farm evacuating their herd that he realized it was time to act. Equipment was quickly moved to higher ground, fertilizer and seed were put on racks as was possible, papers, pictures, electronics and personal effects were loaded and off they went. They returned only to kill the power, load food from the deep freeze, grab their passports and most importantly, rescue one of his sons who had stayed behind to help the neighbour move cows.
Underwater for 21 days, much was lost; things like furniture, appliances, books, small equipment, 60% of their seed stock and fertilizer and much more. Meanwhile, the house, shops and sheds all sustained major damage while the entire farm was a mess of debris.
Boat parking only at Bos Sod farmhouse – November 2021 (image by Bert Bos)
The good news is the sod survived. Bert stated, “Most of the sod is ok, especially the bentgrass but some ryegrass was damaged. We have already shipped 10 loads of special order poa to Seattle and I hope to be fully operational by April.”
His list of 80 volunteers has certainly helped turn that lofty goal into reality, starting with restoration efforts to the shop, house, office and general cleanup. While completion is still several weeks away, in a testament to his attitude Bert emphasized, “You can count what’s lost or you can count what’s saved - it’s all just material stuff and it could have been much worse.”
Not long after the flooding, a friend of the Western Turf Farm family named Rachelle Cashato, started a GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-western-turf-farms) to help support operational costs and living expenses of the Rindts whose 400 acre sod farm in Sumas Flats was completely devastated including the loss of four homes, shop, equipment and machinery, pumphouses, personal effects and crops (the Langley farm was unaffected and continues to operate).
Western Turf Farms – November 2021 (image by Rob Rindt)
At Feb 28, $46,925 has been raised of the $100,000 goal but with damage estimates in the millions, using the word devastated to describe the situation is really an understatement.
“The donations helped a lot and we’re slowly coming together,” Rob Rindt said emotionally in a phone conversation, adding, “Some equipment is being worked on but there wasn’t much warning and not a lot could be saved.”
Unfortunately, no form of disaster relief has materialized. “We are hoping for some help and a government agent is coming this week to take a look around but we have not seen anything at this point,” Rob said. “If there had been more time, we could probably have saved a lot of the equipment and semi-trucks.”
Mother of all rain delays at Abbotsford Cardinals Field – November 2021 (source GoFundMe)
Sportsfields
With seven feet of water inside and outside the facility, the Abbotsford Cardinals baseball team lost virtually everything after floodwaters ravaged the indoor training centre and field just east of Whatcom Road. The team started a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise funds needed for new turf, pitching machines, batting cages, pitching mounds, baseballs, protective screens and nets with $56,780 of their $60,000 goal raised at end February.
Meanwhile, Global News recently reported that BC Place changed out its old turf field and is donating some of it to the Abbotsford Cardinals. A report on the field surfaces from Jay Differ, Turf & Irrigation Coordinator for the City of Abbotsford, stated, “The ball field came out of the flood as well as it could have. There was some minor migration of infield material around the lips of the ball diamond. We were able to cut out those areas and prepare them for sod when it comes available. The affects to the outfield were again minimal. Nothing Ken Reid’s outfit can’t handle. FarmTek generally aerates and top-dresses for us in the summer but were going to have them out as soon as the facility dries out.”
The city also tested the soil for hydrocarbons, fertilizers, and other potential soil contaminants - they all came back okay and deemed safe for public use. The Cardinals have been using the facility for practices but their season doesn’t start until April. Everything is looking to be on course for completion by then.
Golf Courses
Several golf courses were impacted by flooding, some worse than others. Here’s an update on three of them.
What looks like a dry riverbed is actually the 8th fairway of the Hope Golf Club, Hope BC – December 14, 2022 (image by Jerry Rousseau)
The worst hit has to be the 9-hole Hope Golf Club where the Coquihalla River breached its east bank, carving a new channel through the 8th, 4th, 5th and 7th holes, ripping 1000 yards of irrigation line out of the ground, toppling a dozen or so 100’ fir trees and depositing sediment and rock over at least 15 acres of playing surfaces. Both the pumphouse and irrigation pond are gone, the latter filled in with sand and rock level with the surrounding fairway grade, the former somewhere underneath it all (we assume).
Equipped with a D6 cat and a small excavator, a handful of member volunteers have started reparations but as Superintendent Mike Carriere referred to the task at hand, “The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” Meanwhile, the club awaits news of flood relief funding but plans to open the course at least partially by mid-March; fortunately there was minimal damage to greens.
Chilliwack Golf Club, Chilliwack, BC – November 2021 (image by Kaleb Fisher)
Kaleb Fisher’s first winter as Superintendent at the Chilliwack Golf Club hasn’t been much fun. Taking on the lead role in early November from retired long-time Super Duane Grosart, more than four weeks of cleanup was needed after 26” of rain fell in November and subsequent floodwaters finally receded.
“The damage was not too bad, although there was 2 feet of water in the pumphouse at one point,” stated Kaleb, adding, “It was a pretty stressful few months. Flooding was followed by ice and wind storms and we’re still in the recovery process.”
The front nine has been open since early February with the back nine opening any day now but with multiple temps.
Fraserglen Golf Course, Abbotsford, BC during (above) and as of Feb 25 (below)
Fraserglen sits just across the #1 highway from the Cardinals Field along the stretch of road closed for three weeks due to high water. A popular mid-length course with double-decker driving range, the family owned business has been a fixture in the area since the early 80’s.
Cleanup continues as of February 25th and the course expects to re-open by end February. The Allan family’s resolve will certainly see it through if their road sign is any indication!
