Evacuation alerts issued for 124 properties
Sixty homes northwest of Summerland were placed under an evacuation alert Saturday due to the potential for overland flooding from local creeks.
“Meadow Valley and Faulder area residents may expect to see higher volumes of water flowing from the Darke Lake, Darke Creek and Trout Creek water systems, and access to properties may be compromised or become impassable,” the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said in a press release.
Affected properties are on Agur Court and Kettle Place, plus Fish Lake, Princeton-Summerland and Relkey roads.
The RDOS has declared a local state of emergency for the area, which grants it additional powers to combat flooding.
A local state of emergency has also been declared by the District of Summerland for areas adjacent to Aeneas Creek, which has spilled over its banks in places. An information meeting for affected property owners is scheduled for tonight at 6:30 at Summerland town hall.
Meanwhile, another 64 homes in Twin Lakes were placed under an evacuation alert late Thursday due to flooding there.
“The Twin Lakes area experienced significant flooding in 2017. This year is expected to be significantly worse,” the RDOS said in a press release.
“In 2017, the Lower Nipit Irrigation District at Twin Lakes was allowed by the Province of B.C. to pump water into Park Rill Creek to lower lake levels. This year, Park Rill Creek is already flooding, compromising dams and roads and damaging downstream property.
“At this time, there is no water being pumped from the Twin Lakes area into Park Rill Creek.”
The release notes Lower Nipit Lake is currently rising 15 centimetres per day and could gain two metres by the time the snowpack has melted.
As of Sunday afternoon, the level in Okanagan Lake was hovering around 341.71 metres – up 12 centimetres over 72 hours, but still 77 cm below full pool.