Image Credit: District of Peachland
June 20, 2020 - 9:00 AM
The District of Peachland is lining its shoreline with sandbags are part of mitigation efforts to prevent flooding.
“Okanagan Lake is into flood conditions again and (the district is) installing more mitigation measures at Swim Bay,” according to the district’s Facebook post, June 19.
The Central Okanagan’s Emergency Operations Centre is warning of unpredictable weather patterns which can cause sudden changes to creek, stream and lake levels throughout the Central Okanagan.
“Forecasts for increasing temperatures and wind activity in the coming days and over the weekend could result in flooding and damage to properties not adequately protected,” according to an EOC news release issued June 18.
“The weather is unpredictable and has already contributed to isolated flooding this season,” said Sandra Follack, Central Okanagan regional emergency program coordinator, in the release. “Property owners need to be vigilant and should actively monitor the weather and act accordingly. Those in low lying areas and particularly those that were impacted in 2018 need to act now to protect their properties.”
To protect public infrastructure, local municipalities, districts and communities are installing protective measures in key areas along the shores of area lakes, including locations on Okanagan Lake's foreshore. Last week’s rain added six or seven centimetres to the lake level, pushing it 22 cm above full pool, slightly higher than it was when it reached peak level in 2018, the last year of high water.
READ MORE: Okanagan Lake surges past 2018 levels with weekend rains
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