Residents living beside a flooding river near Quesnel, B.C. say their recent offers to reinforce the banks were turned down by the government over fears it would disrupt a fish habitat.
One home has already been swept away on the Cottonwood River, and around a dozen more are threatened as flood watches are in place for several other areas in the central and southern Interior.
Bob Simpson, the MLA for Cariboo North, believes the government is likely liable.
"The real issue for these homeowners is why was a subdivision approved on a flood plain?" he said.
In 2009, a dozen homeowners offered to shore up the river banks at their own expense to protect their homes in the event of rapidly rising water levels but the Department of Fisheries said it would ruin the fish habitat.
Simpson said while the effort to use their own money to fix the problem is noble, the situation represents a failed relationship with the government body.
"The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said that protecting those homes would impact fish habitat. We could not get them to understand that not protecting their homes would mean the debris, the outbuildings, propane tanks, car bodies would all end up in the river," he said.
Homeowner Tim Lynes is worried that his home may be the next to float with the fishes.
"I hold a certain amount of responsibility for living on a river but that's why I was offering all the money to fix it," he said, adding that dealing with officials has been frustrating.
"For the last week all that's been going on with the government is everyone is trying to cover their asses."
Heavy rain caused the river to rise six inches overnight.
Warm weather is now ushering in the spring melt, which means the river could continue rising until mid-June.
Meanwhile, flood warnings remain posted for Baker Creek and the Willow River near Quesnel and Prince George -- and for the West Kettle, Nicola and Bonaparte rivers in the southern Interior.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
