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January 12, 2023 - 3:34 PM
The salvage operation to pull dead cattle carcasses from Okanagan Lake near Vernon is now complete.
The Okanagan Indian Band confirmed 26 cattle were successfully removed from the lake by divers on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.
The carcasses were transported to a facility in Alberta for disposal.
The Band says initial reports may have overestimated the number of cattle involved as it was thought 31 cattle had drowned.
However, 26 carcasses were eventually pulled from the lake and divers did not find any other dead cattle. The Band is monitoring the lake for any indication of additional carcasses but believes all the cattle have been retrieved.
"Water testing was performed before, during, and after the recovery work. Results of the initial water testing indicate good water quality in the immediate area," the Okanagan Indian Band said in a statement.
The Band says it will continue ongoing water testing in the area.
It's unknown exactly when the cattle drowned, but sometime over Christmas the herd wandered onto the frozen lake in search of fresh water and fell through the ice.
An Okanagan diver previously told iNFOnews.ca that the operations to retrieve the cattle would be complex, possibly very dangerous, and pricey.
It's unknown how much the salvage operation cost but the Ministry of Environment confirmed the Okanagan Indian Band was securing cash from Indigenous Services Canada to pay for the retrieval.
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