Evacuation alerts for 29 low-lying homes and businesses in eastern Fraser Valley

Residents of the eastern Fraser Valley will be keeping a close watch on the level of the Fraser River this weekend as it swells with snowmelt and runoff from recent heavy rains in the Interior.

The Fraser Valley Regional District has issued evacuation alerts for 29 low-lying homes and businesses outside diked areas, including an RV park, housing development and other properties between Mission and Kent.

A release from the district says the level of the river had edged past 5.5 metres at the gauge in Mission by yesterday morning, an increase of almost a metre since June 11th.

Officials say flooding of undiked areas could occur if the level reaches six metres.

Fraser and South Thompson river levels rising: forecast centre

Flood watches have been posted for the upper Fraser and South Thompson rivers.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre says heavy rainfall in parts of the central and eastern Interior over the past week prompted the flood watches.

The centre says in a statement that weekend rainfall in the forecast for those areas ranging from five to 30 millimetres has the potential to cause additional high water levels.