More beaches, boat launches open as high waters recede
More beaches and boat launches are open as Kelowna slowly returns to normal after record flooding over the past two months.
Bladder dam and Gabion barriers have now been removed at Hot Sands Beach in City Park, Strathcona Beach, Kinsmen Park and Rotary Beach, so all have reopened.
Remember, there may still be debris on the beaches from the high water, so be careful.
City crews are cleaning up, but it's taking time to get around to all the beaches.
Over the past two weeks, the public was also welcomed back to Tugboat Beach at Waterfront Park, Boyce-Gyro Beach, Sarsons Beach, Cedar Creek Park, Paul's Tomb and Lochview Trail.
"This means all the main beaches in Kelowna are reopened," said City of Kelowna parks, beaches and sportsfield supervisor Ted Sophonow.
"The only beaches that still have flood barriers and are closed to the public are the small beach accesses. But we're working at getting the barriers out and the beaches reopened and cleaned up as soon as possible. I imagine everything should be back to normal in two weeks or so."
All boat launches in Kelowna are now reopened.
The last one to come on stream this week was Sutherland Bay at 700 Ellis St.
Water Street Boat Launch, which was previously only half opened, now has both lanes going.
The Cook Road, Cedar Creek and Coral Beach in Lake Country boat launches have been safe to use for the last week or two.
However, if you do get your boat out on Okanagan Lake, the city and Central Okanagan regional district are asking you to be aware that water levels are still high, wake can damage the shore and docks and there's still floating and submerged debris in the water.
So if you are making a wake by going fast, waterskiing, wakeboarding or wakesurfing, be sure to do it well away from shore.
With the lake level consistently receding, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations stopped issuing daily measurements for Okanagan Lake this week.
On Tuesday, the lake level was 342.84 metres above sea level, which was still 38 centimetres above what is considered full pool for the lake.
At the peak of flooding on June 9, the lake was at a record 343.251 metres.
For the past couple of weeks, the lake level has dipped about a couple of centimetres per day.
At that rate, the lake is probably already at 342.76 and could be back to full pool in another two weeks.