SOUTHERN LAKES REGION Rising water is taking its toll on the Southern Lakes region, leaving some properties under water and residents and government preparing for evacuations.

Sandbagging efforts continued Thursday and today, leaving residents in the Marsh Lake and Tagish areas calling for more volunteers as they battle rising water levels, which have already begun to bypass makeshift dams and claim property and roadways.

In Carcross, the basement of the visitors' information centre has experienced flooding. As well, White Pass and Yukon Route officials are considering halting train service to the community.

Water levels in Marsh Lake, according to Yukon Energy, have reached 657.01 metres above sea level, setting a new record.

Paul Cowan, a resident of the South McClintock subdivision in Marsh Lake, said he is continuing his sandbagging efforts but will shut off the power to his house and head for higher ground if the water keeps rising.

'It's starting to seep in now. It's not as bad as some of the people down the way, but it's coming up pretty bad.

'The septic fields will probably be useless here, so we'll have to shut the water off and the power off,' he said.

'Probably another foot higher and we're not going to be here. The water is a good 2 1/2 feet higher than it should be.'

Cowan's property is already suffering damage, with water seeping up through the ground behind his house. An area of the South McClintock access road connecting his property to the highway is under several inches of water.

Doug Phillips, whose property is near Cowan's, said Thursday afternoon he and his neighbours are calling on Yukoners to help with sandbagging efforts.

'We could probably use half a dozen or a dozen people (at this station) filling bags,' said the former Yukon Party cabinet minister. 'And there's a few stations around here where people are filling bags. They're going as fast as they're being filled.

'The water rose three-quarters of an inch since I measured it this morning. From 7:00 a.m. to noon hour, there was a three-quarter of an inch rise. It's rising two, 2 1/2 inches a day,' Phillips said.

'We need sand right now. We ordered sand (Thursday) morning and we're waiting to hear from the Emergency Measures Organization. Hopefully a truck will be here any minute.'

The driveway on Phillips' property is under water, as are the garden and patio area behind his lakefront home.

Phillips said while there have been some school-aged volunteers who have been out to help with sandbagging, many of those assisting in the effort are middle-aged and senior citizens.

He said efforts so far have been steady but more volunteers from the community would be appreciated.

'It's good, but we need more volunteers.'

Doug Tremblay, who was helping out with sandbagging efforts at Don Sipple's house in South McClintock, said he feels the situation is reaching the level of a full-blown emergency.

'This is like a forest fire. There's just at much at stake here as there would be with a forest fire.

'I hear the water is going to come up about another 18 inches over the next four or five weeks. It's not likely to slow down anytime soon,' he said.

'Come on out and see for yourself; lots of help is needed.'

Judy Corley, a Marsh Lake resident also assisting with sandbagging efforts, said she's never seen the water level as high as it is now.

'The water level is scary.'

Patrick Rouble, the Yukon Party MLA for Southern Lakes, said this morning new sand has been delivered and volunteers are continuing to come to the aid of Marsh Lake residents.

Rouble said any volunteers looking to help out in the Marsh Lake area should stop off at the emergency command centre, a white trailer located at the visitors' area of Army Beach.

'That's the volunteer check-in area,' he said.

Linda Pringle, a councillor with the South Klondike Local Advisory Council, said water in Carcross has been rising daily, affecting the air strip and the visitors' information centre.

'The water is rising; it gets higher every day,' she said.

She said there haven't been any reports of homes being flooded yet, but residents in the community are keeping a close eye on water levels.

'Right now, we just have to wait and see.'

Karen Keeley, a spokeswoman with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said this morning the basement of Carcross' visitors' information centre has experienced flooding. Plans are in place to evacuate the building, if it became necessary.

'The water is in the basement area, which is like a crawl space. There's a sump pump in operation which is pumping out the water.

'The department's Emergency Measures Organization co-ordinator is out there to assess the situation.

'If it's determined the centre isn't useable, then the visitors' information centre will be moved to a temporary spot outside the building. It will be moved into a tent; the service will continue to operate for visitors,' she said.

Gary Danielson, president of the White Pass and Yukon Route, said his company is closely monitoring water levels and will stop sending trains to Carcross if the water level reaches the railway bridge.

'Once it goes over the bridge, or on the bridge, we would have to stop service. It depends on the day; it fluctuates daily.'

Danielson said the train service to the community, which started up again this year, has varying numbers of passengers. They've ranged from 29 people travelling north and 204 south on Monday, to six northbound and three southbound people yesterday.

Art Dell, a Tagish resident helping to co-ordinate sandbagging efforts in that community, said people have been coming out in great numbers to help combat rising water levels.

'Well, what we've got working here right now is we've got the crews from Teslin which have been here all day helping.

'We've had the fire crew from Carcross out here today until they got called away to another project.

'And we've had a number of local residents from fairly senior people right down to young children,' he said.

The sandbagging efforts, he said, have been concentrated on the Atlin, B.C. side of the Tagish bridge as water levels have claimed property and are threatening businesses in the area.

He said one homeowner's property began flooding last Sunday, a day after the owner mowed his lawn.

Other areas close by are also in danger, he added.

'There's a fairly elderly lady in (one home) and we're just trying to figure out what to do with her and where she can go if she needs to be relocated.

'I guess the other place that's going to be a concern is Art Smith's store here, and his yard. He's got fuel tanks, he's got septic tanks, and his store is in the basement of his house.'

Dell said residents are doing everything they can, but that damage to property seemed unavoidable at this point.

'It's been up nine inches since last Wednesday.

'You can do what you can do, but there's still going to be problems.'

Bryce Larke, the territory's medical officer of health, issued a boil water advisory earlier this week for the Tagish, Marsh Lake, Carcross and Lake Laberge areas.

Dennis Senger, an acting spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Services, said this morning his office has been getting a number of calls about what water needs to be boiled.

He said the advisory only applies to private water wells and to people who draw their water from lakes and streams.

Senger said people who are getting their water from fill stations, such as in Judas Creek, Tagish and Carcross, don't need to boil their water, unless it smells off or looks unsafe.

Doug Caldwell, a spokesman for the government's protective services branch, said earlier this week his office is preparing an evacuation advisory for affected areas, which it will issue if it is needed.

Whitehorse Corrections Centre inmates began assisting with sandbagging efforts Wednesay after head corrections officer Mark Daniels put out the call for volunteers.

Anyone available to help out with sandbagging should call Larsen at 660-4610 in Marsh Lake, Dennis Bouchard at 399-3572 in Tagish and/or Wesley Barrett at 821-4251 in Carcross.

People looking to help out in Lake Laberge should call 667-5220.