Urged to stay off water

Photo: Diane Galbraith

UPDATE: 3 p.m.

The Emergency Operations Centre is asking boaters to avoid the following locations:

Kelowna

• The entire waterfront between Poplar Point and Cedar Creek

West Kelowna

• Green Bay area
• Casa Loma area
• Pritchard Drive area
• Whitworth Road area

Lake Country

• Tween Lakes (canal) and entire Oyama isthmus area
• Carrs Landing
• Okanagan Centre
• Turtle Bay

Peachland

• The entire downtown waterfront; specifically, Heritage Park to Buchanan
• All day use docks and wharfs (closed)
• Princeton boat launch (closed)

Westside Road (RDCO)

• Wilson’s Landing
• Fintry area
• Killiney Beach area

Boating is not recommended due to unsafe conditions resulting from flooding and high water levels. Flooding has deposited significant debris in Okanagan Lake, including large trees and branches, making navigation on the lake hazardous.

Boat wakes can have significant impact on vulnerable properties and signage is being posted at boat launches and shared with private moorage organizations encouraging boaters to go slow and avoid causing wakes, particularly close to shore.

ORIGINAL: 8:50 a.m.

Okanagan Lake rose another 2.5 centimetres Thursday.

The lake now sits at 342.779 metres above sea level, dangerously close to the flood stage.

Heading into the long weekend, boating is not recommended due to debris danger and wave action concerns about shore erosion.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre urges boaters who choose to access local lakes to use extreme caution. They are also asked to keep their speeds and wakes down.

In preparation of potential flooding, docks or boats must be properly secured.

• If anchored, make sure the anchor lines are long enough, so they don’t snap if water rises too high
• Ensure boats are secured
• If you have a pull-up dock, pull it up as high as possible
• Secure the dock using sandbags or weighted barrels on the edges of the dock
• Remove all loose items from the dock, but do not clean any debris from shoreline
• Stay away from fast moving waters
• Boat owners with boats on lifts may choose to remove their boat from the lift and trailer it for safe storage.

Flood preparations and rising water levels have impacted access to some beaches and waterfront parks across the region. The public is asked to not touch flood protective measures that have been put in place. Sand bag walls, bladder dams and gabion barriers have been placed to protect infrastructure and property.

Debris washed up on beaches should also be left in place for now, as it helps limit erosion caused by wave action.