Wood pellet exports double
Nearly $500K for car crash
Mounties won't be charged
Minister defends right to bail
Vise grips as steering wheel
$36M for vaccine injury 
New US rules for airlines 
Historic Trump hearing 
Pig kidney transplant 
Big loss for Boeing 
Metro sales edged higher
Retail sales slip 
Warriors snakebitten in loss
Iginla off to Europe
Rockets ink prospect
Perry teams with Lu Kala
Megan denies harassment
Swift ‘one of the family’
Sand has been working overtime in the Okanagan this year.
About two million sandbags were distributed from Peachland up to Lake Country this spring, as widespread flooding threatened thousands of homes and businesses in the region.
As Okanagan Lake levels recede, now down to 342.64 metres above sea level, sandbags are being removed from properties by local governments and collected at several locations in the region, including the Cook Road boat launch outside the Hotel Eldorado, the Apple Bowl parking lot on Burtch Road and the Beasley Park parking lot in Lake Country.
Carrie O'Rourke, information officer with the Emergency Operations Centre, says some of the sand from the sandbags will be used on roads across the Central Okanagan come winter, when icy roads require the extra grip.
Sand that is not saved for road maintenance will be returned to the companies it came from. O'Rourke says the majority of the sand originally came from local sources.
Unfortunately, a lot of the bags themselves will end up in the landfill.
Both burlap and plastic sandbags were used in the region this spring. O'Rourke says all the plastic bags will end up in the landfill, as they would need to be completely dry and clean for them to be recycled.
The burlap bags will decompose, and the ones used in Kelowna are being pulverized into the sand, to aid in that decomposition.
“They do have equipment in Kelowna where they're working on the foreshore now, it's a concrete pulverizer, so they're throwing those bags in and they're being pulverized together with the sand,” she said.
Meanwhile, burlap bags used in West Kelowna will be thrown out. O'Rourke believes the resources aren't available to pulverize all the burlap bags that were used across the region.
Those looking to have sandbags picked up can use this Emergency Management BC application form.
For those who are removing sandbags from their property themselves, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations recommends wearing N95 respirators, nitrile gloves and rubber boots while working, as the sandbags could contain mould.
