Lumby asked to wade in

Photo: Dwayne Pederson

2013 file photo.

The Village of Lumby is being invited to get involved in managing flooding from Duteau Creek dams.

The village council sent a letter to the North Okanagan Regional District in May asking staff to observe “best practices” to ensure water from reservoirs on the Aberdeen Plateau did not hurtle into the village and cause flooding.

Rather than complaining, the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee is asking Lumby if it is “interested in financially partnering in the raising of the Duteau Creek Reservoir dam,” said Bob Fleming, electoral area B director.

According to an engineering report on options for Lumby flood control, the village could participate with the cost of raising the reservoir another metre to a total of five metres. A preliminary estimate to raise the dam by a metre is $3.5 million.

“The flooding issue is bigger than just Lumby by itself,” said Coldstream director Doug Dirk. “We do mitigate it now. The fact that dams are there provides some mitigation for the flooding.

“The issue is, going forward, how can we cooperate? How can we work together to address that?”

Dirk said that could mean joint applications for grants.

“If Lumby is willing, we could be working together to fund the raising of those dams. It's not solely a Greater Vernon problem and it's not solely a Lumby problem so we need to work together.”