Sandbags, portable dams put in place as lake rises
Reinforcements have arrived to help the City of Penticton do battle with the rising water of Okanagan Lake. Upwards of 20,000 sandbags along with a 300-metre section of portable dam were expected to be placed Monday evening along the lowlying waterfront between the SS Sicamous and the dam at the top of the Okanagan River channel.
“Right now, we have no residents at risk. We have some city infrastructure at risk and that’s what we’re working on today,” city manager Peter Weeber said Monday.
City workers have surveyed the SS Sicamous Heritage Park and other parts of the waterfront to mark 343.5 metres above sea level — the height to which waves are expected to reach when the lake hits its projected peak of 343 m.
The lake stood at 342.87 m as of noon Monday, representing a gain of 10 centimetres over just 72 hours.
To help the city fight back, the B.C. government has loaned Penticton a machine capable of filling 1,600 sandbags per hour, a 20-person crew from the BC Wildfire Service to move the sandbags, and a length of Tiger Dam — essentially a large, rubber tube that’s filled with water.
Other areas of concern in the city include parts of the Okanagan Lake walkway, Rotary Park and Okanagan Lake Park, as well the Penticton Yacht Club and Marina. Three private homes that are susceptible to rising ground water are also on the watch list.
Adding to the trouble, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the Okanagan to warn about “unseasonably warm” daytime highs reaching 30 C Monday and Tuesday, which will hasten the spring melt.
“This will be followed by a cool-down accompanied by strong winds Tuesday night and Wednesday as a cold front moves quickly across the province…. There is also a risk of thunderstorms,” the statement added.
“Strong winds combined with high water levels could result in increased wave action that may impact shorelines and lakeside roads.
Right now, we have no residents at risk.We have some city infrastructure at risk and that’s what we’re working on today. City manager Peter Weeber
The saturated ground also increases the chances of downed trees in strong winds.”
Weeber, who further cautioned residents to stay away from the river channel and other fast-moving water, said that incoming weather system remains the biggest question mark for him and others on flood watch.
“We’re feeling good about the preparations,” he added. “The nice thing is floods are slow-moving, unlike wildfires, so we have time to prepare.”
Elsewhere in the region, an evacuation alert remains in place for 15 properties near Tinhorn Creek south of Oliver. Ten people were evacuated Saturday, but allowed to return home Sunday after conditions improved. Fifteen properties surrounding nearby Testalinden Creek also remain under an evacuation alert. Both creeks are swollen from the spring freshet, while hillsides left barren by a 2015 wildfire are now sending debris downhill.
An evacuation alert issued Friday for nine properties in the Twin Lakes area also remains in effect due to the rising water levels there.
And in Naramata, increased turbidity in Okanagan Lake on Monday prompted a water-quality advisory urging seniors, children and those with chronic illness or weakened immune systems to avoid drinking untreated tap water.