An Osoyoos lift station is being armoured against rising lake levels in the town.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED
May 11, 2018 - 1:04 PM
OSOYOOS - It’s now up to Mother Nature how high Osoyoos Lake levels will rise.
The Osoyoos Lake Board released a statement this morning stating the lake level is no longer being controlled by the Zosel Dam in Washington State.
“Lake level depends on both inflow to and outflow from Osoyoos Lake. At this point, a larger part of the lake level rise is attributable to a backwater effect from high flow on the Similkameen River, which restricts outflow from Osoyoos Lake,” the statement says.
The International Joint Commission agreement regulating water levels on Osoyoos Lake attempts to maintain the lake level between 911 and 912 feet from May through September.
With Okanagan and Similkameen snowpack levels well above normal, and a suddenly melting snowpack adding large volumes of water to the Similkameen River, the lake exceeded the maximum high reached last year of 914.87 feet (June 2, 2017) on May 9, 2018.
The lake’s highest ever recorded level of 917.11 feet was set on June 2 and 3, 1972.
The board says the maximum level that Osoyoos Lake will reach this year is difficult to predict due to its dependence on changing weather conditions and resulting rates of snowmelt.
Several evacuation orders and alerts were issued around the lake yesterday, May 10, including a state of local emergency in Osoyoos ordering residents not to direct floodwaters from basement pumping directly into the town’s sewer system, due to fears of a breakdown of the sewer management system.
An evacuation order was issued for the Coast Hotel located at 7702 Main St. in Osoyoos yesterday evening as lake levels began affecting that property.
Evacuation orders were also sent to a number of Solana Key Court and Harbour Key Drive residences yesterday, May 10.
Rural areas were also affected by rising lake levels as evacuation orders were issued to 16 Willow Beach properties in Electoral Area “A,” north of Osoyoos.
An evacuation alert for a number of lakeshore properties in Osoyoos as well as several properties in Electoral area “A” was also issued yesterday.
Rising Osoyoos Lake levels have prompted several evacuation notices and alerts to be issued to various locations along the lake yesterday, May 10, 2018.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED
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