Weather not helping
Whether it’s sunny or raining, flood woes persist along Okanagan Lake
Thursday night and early Friday morning’s rain wasn’t good. Neither was Friday’s sun and 25 C temperatures.
Today’s forecast high of 25 C with sun is also causing concern.
And tomorrow’s prediction of rain and 23 C is potentially hazardous, too.
When it comes to flooding, it seems the Okanagan is damned if the weather’s bad and damned if it’s good. Wind doesn’t help either. “Any conditions at this point simply add to the flooding issue,” said City of Kelowna communications supervisor Tom Wilson.
“Rain is a problem because it adds water to the creeks and the already flooded Okanagan Lake. Nice warm weather is a problem because it accelerates the snow melt on the mountains that finds its way into creeks and the lake. And wind causes the lake to be rough and the waves further damage the already damaged lakeshore.” As such, the Valley is a mess. Okanagan Lake is flooded, murky, full of debris and virtually out of bounds for swimmers and boaters. That’s starting to hurt tourism as potential visitors stay away and pick other destinations for warm-weather and watersports vacations.
Many creekside and lakefront properties and homes are soggy, docks are under water and beaches have been gobbled up.
Residents of five waterfront properties along Hodges Road and Killiney Beach have been ordered to evacuate their homes and many other residents in similar situations have been put on evacuation alert, meaning they should be prepared to leave their homes with little notice if flooding worsens.
None of this headache is going to go away any time soon.
Flooding conditions are now projected to persist well into July, potentially quashing half of the Okanagan’s summer fun.
As of 5:25 a.m. on Friday, the level of Okanagan Lake was 343.194 metres above sea level, up two centimetres from Thursday, according to Summer Effray of the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre.
“Typical full pool of the lake is 342.48 metres,” she added. “So, we’re well over that and that’s why there are so many problems. And it’s going to get worse no matter what kind of weather we get, be it rain or sun.”
The current forecast for the peak of flooding is when the lake swells to 343.25 metres — five more centimetres.
The lake surpassed the 1948 historic flood level of 343 metres early last week.
All beaches in Kelowna are now closed, except for Gyro off Lakeshore Road.
Technically, you aren’t prohibited from swimming at Gyro, but the City of Kelowna and Interior Health is recommending against it.
“It’s kind of a swim-at-your-own-risk situation,” said Wilson.
“First of all, the lake is cold right now, and the water is murky and muddy and hasn’t been tested for coliform (bacteria). Usually that testing gets done when the traditional swimming season starts when the water is warmer.”
Okanagan Lake is the source of Kelowna’s drinking water.
With it being stirred up so much with flooding, turbidity (cloudiness) of the water has intensified and prompted a water-quality advisory.
Turbid water can carry particles of bacteria that could lead to gastrointestinal problems in people that drink it.
As such, the advisory recommends that people don’t drink tap water if they have weakened immune systems, chronic illnesses or are under 12 or over 65 years of age.
An advisory is the step before a boil-water notice, which is the step before a do-not-use warning.
The only boat launch left open in Kelowna is the one at the end of Cook Road beside the Hotel Eldorado.
However, even if you can get your boat out on the lake, the city is recommending against it.
“I guess you could get out there and putter a bit,” said Wilson.
“But that’s all you could do because you have to go slow so you create no wake that can wash up on shore and do further damage. Plus, there’s a lot of floating debris and also a lot of debris, including docks that washed away from shore, that are submerged just below the surface and cause a hazard.”
Lake Country just closed the Coral Beach Boat Launch in the Carr’s Landing neighbourhood because of high water, submerged dock and debris.
The Gable Road End boat launch in Carr’s Landing remains open.
However, the district recommends against boating.
West Kelowna is asking residents impacted by flooding not to pump water from their property into city sanitary (household sinks, bathtubs or toilets) or drainage (roadway storm drain) systems.
The city’s wastewater and drainage infrastructure is already maxed.
The city recommends draining excess water, such as from a flooded basement, into a nearby creek or on your lawn or garden.