Emergency Services Supervisor Dale Kronebusch updated the regional district board about flooding concerns in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen at today's regular board meeting, May 18, 2017.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

PENTICTON - A regional district director expressed his displeasure about a perceived lack of attention following a regional district staffers’ report to the board today.

Area D director Tom Siddon expressed concerns residents of Twin Lakes were being ignored after a septic field serving a half dozen residences flooded recently.

Siddon said the pump servicing the septic field was to be shut down tomorrow and the homeowners forced to evacuate.

"I don't know why there was no mention of that in this report," he said, adding he had spoken to staff about it in the last few days.

Siddon criticized regional district and provincial staff for not paying attention to the Twin Lakes residents’ plight.

Siddon said the provincial official overseeing water levels at Twin Lakes hadn’t been in the area since 2008.

"There were no provincial officals up there walking the territory as I did yesterday, nor I don't think were you... I'm just asking why this area isn't being given the attention," Siddon said.

"All I'm saying is, I don't want it to be left out, and to this point, it has been," he added.

Emergency Services Coordinator Dale Kronebusch told the board the Twin Lakes situation was currently under discussion between the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the strata residents of Twin Lakes. He said it was not his place to speak to the matter, but that if evacuation becomes necessary, the regional district would assist.

West Bench Director Michael Brydon asked the board about the role of the Lower Nipit Irrigation District at Twin Lakes, suggesting they managed water levels of Twin Lakes.

“Why is the regional district taking the heat on this?” he asked.

No one could confirm what role the irrigation district played with respect to flood control.

In his review of emergency services, Kronebusch told the board 87 dump truck loads of sand and more than 50,000 sandbags had been delivered to locations throughout the regional district.

“We’re not done yet,” he told the board.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2017