The City of West Kelowna is currently working with the Regional Emergency Program in coordination with the City’s Parks Department to remove sandbags from around the City.

(JENNA HICKMAN / iNFOnews.ca)

WEST KELOWNA - As Okanagan Lake continues to go down and get closer to full pool, the City of West Kelowna is working to remove flood protection measures from public and private land.

The City is working with the Regional Emergency Program in coordination with the City’s Parks Department to remove the sandbags. 

Areas where work is underway or beginning shortly will be sign posted. At the moment, crews are removing sandbags from Green Bay, Pritchard Drive and Gellatly Road and Whitworth Road areas, according to a City of West Kelowna press release.

Sandbag pickup will resume in Casa Loma early next week.

For those who are taking it upon themselves to remove their own sandbags, officials are asking for sandbags to be separated into burlap and polypropylene piles, and moved to the roadside for pickup.

The following parks are now open, or will be opening soon.

• Paddlewheeler Park – Pritchard Drive
• Pritchard Park – Pritchard Drive
• Aberdeen Park – West Bay Road
• Casa Loma Dock (opens Thursday, July 20)
• Willow Beach – Gellatly Road
• Marina Beach – Gellatly Road
• Pebble Beach – Whitworth Road
• CNR Wharf – Gellatly Road
• Rotary Beach – Gellatly Road
• Gellatly Landing Park – Gellatly Road
• Casa Rio Park – Casa Rio Drive
• John Dupuis (Casa Loma) Boat Launch – Casa Loma Road
• Gellatly Boat Launch – Gellatly Road
• Casa Loma Waterfront Access – Casa Loma Road (south)

The following parks remain closed.

• Jennens Park – Jennens Road
• Hitchner Park – Jennens Road
• Gellatly Walkway – Gellatly Road
• Beechnut Park – George Court
• Hazelnut Park – Whitworth Road
• Heartnut Park – Whitworth Road
• Casa Loma Beach Park – Casa Loma Road (north)

These parks join the list of eight parks now closed due to extreme fire hazard. The province remains at a state-of-emergency due to over one hundred fires currently burning. There is also a B.C. wide campfire ban.

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