Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte warned of possible flooding

Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte “should be on high alert,” the NWT government said, after British Columbia issued a flood warning for the Liard River.

The territory’s advisory follows warm weather hastening snowmelt from the mountains around upstream sections of the river. That melt “is beginning to hit the water system,” the GNWT said on Wednesday.

“This will contribute to high water levels and flow in the Liard and South Nahanni Rivers,” read a statement from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, warning of “possible flooding in the coming days.”

ENR’s statement continued: “Previous flooding at Nahanni Butte occurred when a very high South Nahanni River ‘ran into’ a very high Liard River, backing water up into the community. The conditions … are similar this year.”

On Tuesday, BC issued a flood warning encompassing the “Liard River including tributaries around Fort Nelson and Highway 97 towards Watson Lake.”

The province warned: “Extremely high flows, exceeding 50-year return period levels or similar to flood conditions in 2021, are possible later this week or early next week.”