Photo: Chelsea Powrie

Crews clearing debris from Ellis Creek in Penticton on May 9.

City staff in Penticton will be asking council to spend an extra $745,000 this year for repair work needed from high water this spring.

The most costly of the four will be a master plan for Ellis Creek, worth $400,000. Issues there began during the spring freshet in 2017, when eroded materials from the river bed were carried downstream to the bridge at Main Street. To correct the issues, city crews undertook emergency work earlier this year to increase the depth of Ellis Creek in several locations.

A master plan for the creek would be completed before construction begins in 2019. 

Another $250,000 in spending will need to be approved for emergency work on Ellis Creek that took place earlier this month, when crews had to remove debris that was carried downstream by high water and blocked bridges and culverts.

Drainage improvements in the area of the Campbell Mountain landfill and Naramata Road are also proposed, worth $50,000. The work is needed due to issues with water "ponding and flowing across private property" which occurred during the spring runoff.

"This led to the city having to ditch a portion of private property to keep the water away from a home in the area... The problem is likely to occur in the future and should be addressed," a report from city staff reads.

The report added the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen will pay half of the costs of engineering work and may help pay for construction.

Lastly, $45,000 is proposed to be spent on improving drainage on the upper part of Carmi Road.

The city said a rain event on April 7 caused a heavy amount of water and sediment to run down Carmi Road and eventually into the storm sewer system, which led to the sewer being plugged for a week. The city said this issue is likely to occur again and should be corrected for the long term.

Of the total costs, the city's capital reserve fund will cover $650,000 and its asset emergency fund will pay for $95,000.

The four budget amendments will be brought to Penticton mayor and council on Tuesday.