Kelowna Now
Okanagan Lake
Boating Industry Canada
Last week we asked our readers to write if they were affected by high water levels and we got several responses – all saying that their areas were affected by high water.
One of the first to respond was Brock Elliott, owner of Kelowna-based Campion Boats. The west has certainly seen more water than usual and we learned that the Kelowna Daily Courier reported on creeping groundwater that is believed to be a threat to homes near Penticton. A new concern has emerged just north of Penticton at Red Wing Resorts, where a local state of emergency was declared last Tuesday night.
Besides the obvious threat from a swollen Okanagan Lake, officials are also worried about the migration of groundwater underneath the community of 350 homes. Dale Kronebusch, emergency services supervisor for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said the lake’s projected crest of 343.5 metre above sea level is about the same height as land at the base of the silt bluffs on the western edge of the resort.
If groundwater spreads that far and undermines the bluffs, they could crumble and damage houses above and below, he explained. The area of greatest concern is the Penticton Yacht Club and Marina, where the lake is expected to overtake a temporary dam and flood the parking lot.
In the Kelowna Capital News this past week, it was reported that from March through May, total flows into Okanagan Lake were 2 1/2 times the normal amount for the period, according to Dave Campbell of the B.C. River Forecast Centre.
Kalamalka Lake had an elevation Wednesday of 392.44 metres above sea level, which is down from recent measurements. There’s little snow left in the mountains that feed Kalamalka Lake, and significant declines in its elevation are expected in the next few weeks. Across the Central Okanagan, however, flood protection measures remain in place or are even being fortified at several locations.
Originally published here.