An unexpected and very expensive problem has been dropped into the laps of City staff and Council.

The concrete flume that carries Mark Creek through the downtown area is failing.

Constructed in 1956 to contain high water after a major flood in 1948 and another scare in 1956, the flume is now being shored up by beams and will need to be completely redone before next high water. And the price tag will likely be in the neighbourhood of $2.5 million.

This is certainly not news the City wanted to hear after a couple of very capital heavy, project heavy years for the City of Kimberley.

"It is seriously messed up," said Mayor Jim Ogilvie. "The channel has reached the end of its useful life. All man-made things reach that stage eventually. We've done some temporary repairs, we've got poles shoring it up in one spot."

The poles are holding the large concrete slabs that make up the flume upright.

"If they ever fell into the creek at high water we'd have a serious flood," Ogilvie said. "If they fell overnight it could be dangerous."

Currently, the City is seeking funding from every provincial source they can think of. At City Council on Monday evening this week, Council went ahead with a resolution to take $195,000 from funds left over from the Highway 95A project to be used for the design stages of the project.

"This is an emergency resolution," the Mayor said. "Those are the only funds available right now."

It's not as simple as just removing the concrete, Ogilvie said.

"You can't just take it out. You have to make sure the channel doesn't leak, that the banks don't erode. But it's done differently nowadays. You use large boulders, and rip rap to slow the water down."

On the plus side of this unexpected expense, says Coun. Kieran Hickey, is that the redone channel will be much more aesthetically pleasing.

Work will have to start on the project immediately after high water so it can be completed before high water next year.