Okanagan Lake bloated; officials tell public to be vigilant, take necessary precautions

KELOWNA Flood warnings and advisories for Central Okanagan creeks are over, but Okanagan Lake is still very much at risk.

“The situation has stabilized, especially when it comes to the region’s creeks and streams,” said Central Okanagan emergency operations centre director Jim Zaffino. “However, when it comes to lakeshore areas, the situation is not yet over and we cannot afford to let down our guard.”

As such, this past week saw crews installing log booms at Peachland’s Swim Bay and Kelowna’s Hot Sands Beach and Maude-Roxby Bird Sanctuary.

The logs — bundled together with chains and anchored with chains to concrete blocks on the lake bottom — help protect shore from high-water wind and wave action that can cause erosion. More log booms in other areas could be set up over the next week, if needed.

The booms are marked with buoys and boaters and people are advised to stay away from them.

Boats can be damaged if they crash into a boom and people can be injured or killed if they slip on wet logs and get trapped.

While emergency operations is protecting public lands and infrastructure, lakeshore residents are responsible for their own protection. So, they are being urged to secure docks and boats and sandbag where needed, if they haven’t already done so.

The level of Okanagan Lake right now is 342.69 metres above sea level, 21 centimetres more than what is considered full pool.

That’s up from the 342.64 metre reading a week ago, which then was only slightly higher than 342.6 metre full pool. Normal high water is 342.48. The lake is expected to peak sometime at 342.8 metres, which is high, but certainly not as dangerous as the record-breaking 343.26 metres during the flood last spring.

That’s a lot of numbers. But what they mean is the lake is bloated and precautions have to be taken.

Motor boaters are asked to take it extremely slow near shore to create as little wake as possible.

When wake hits shore it can cause erosion and saturate the foreshore.

Wake can also damage docks and smash boats that are tied to docks.

Boats making wakes should be at least 300 metres offshore.

Anyone using the lake, especially motor boaters, should beware of floating logs and debris that’s washed into the lake from fastmoving creeks as spring run-off wraps up.

The most insidious are sodden logs that lurk just below the water’s surface and can cause big damage to a boat that strikes it or injury to a waterskier, wakeboarder or wakesurfer that hits it.

With the flooding danger over along creeks, people can start hauling away sandbags and dismantling other protection measures.

Sandbags should be returned, with the sand still in them, to designated sandbag drop-off sites listed at cordemergency.ca.

Sandbags should not be emptied into any creek, lake, wetland or beach as the extra sand can hamper flood control, destroy fish habitat and affect drinking water supplies.

Emergency services recommends wearing a mask, gloves and rubber boots when handling and moving sandbags.

You can sign up for flooding news e-updates at CordEmergency.ca and monitor the lake level at wateroffice.ec.gc.ca.