Okanagan finally nears full pool
If all goes according to plan – and the weather co-operates – Okanagan Lake will reach full pool next week, according to the man responsible for keeping the water in check.
As of noon Friday, the lake’s surface was 342.39 metres above sea level – just nine centimetres below so-called full pool, which is the maximum desired operating level based on a variety of factors, including protection of property and wildlife habitat.
Shaun Reimer, who manages the water level via operation of a dam at the south end of Okanagan Lake in Penticton, said the lake is currently rising about 1 1/2 cm per day.
In response to heavy rain last weekend, Reimer adjusted the dam outflow several times this week.
As of noon Friday, it was discharging water into the Okanagan River at a rate of 50 cubic metres per second, more than double the output of a week ago.
Reimer – whose official title is section head of public safety and protection for the Ministry of Forests – said he has “a little bit more room” to increase dam outflow as the need arises in the coming weeks. The highest inflows to Okanagan Lake are typically seen in mid-May, but this year didn’t materialize until just this past week, thanks to a delayed snow melt and heavy rain last weekend.
“It would not surprise me that we would be going above our full-pool target, which does happen in many years,” said Reimer.
“Many people are more nervous about that since 2017 and 2018, and I get that, but at this point, unless we really start seeing a lot of rain, I wouldn’t think we’re going to get way over” full pool.
Indeed, it was on June 9, 2017, that Okanagan Lake reached 343.25 cm, its highest level on record, flooding waterfront properties around the region and sending governments scrambling to protect vital infrastructure.
Reimer said there’s little chance of a repeat this year, despite some uncertainty about how much further the lake will rise.
“It’s really going to come down, I think, to what kind of rain and precipitation we’re going to see in the next little while,” he said.
Environment Canada is forecasting chances of showers around the Okanagan through Monday, followed by dry and sunny conditions.
As of June 1, the Okanagan snowpack was at 153% of normal, while the Similkameen was at 165%, according to the B.C. River Forecast Centre.