Boat launches remain open in Central Okanagan for now

It’s business as usual, for now, at area boat launches despite the rising level of Okanagan Lake.

The District of Coldstream has closed its boat launches on Kalamalka Lake, but municipally owned launches in the Central Okanagan were still open on Wednesday.

Closures are possible, however, and would come at the discretion of municipal officials and despite the dismay such a move would undoubtedly cause among boaters as the long weekend draws near.

“It’s on our radar as something that could be looked at,” emergency operations centre spokesman Bruce Smith said Wednesday.

Any closures, he said, would be governed by the desire to protect public infrastructure, prevent shoreline erosion caused by wave action and ensure public safety.

“We certainly wouldn’t do it just because we wanted to screw up a bunch of people’s weekend,” Smith said.

Boat launches owned by the District of Coldstream at the north end of Kalamalka Lake were closed on Monday.

“The district thanks the public in advance for their understanding,” the town release announcing the closure stated.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has boat launches at Killiney Beach and Okanagan Centre. The City of Kelowna has four boat launches, the City of West Kelowna has one and the town of Peachland has two. There are also several privately owned boat launches in the Kelowna area.

The level of Okanagan Lake rose three centimetres between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, reaching an elevation of 342.73 metres above sea level.