Osoyoos Lake rapidly rising, motel row beachless

The beachfront at Frank Stadnyk’s Poplar Motel in Osoyoos is virtually non-existent.

“We can go out about 30-40 feet and that will all be beach,” said Frank Stadnyk Manager of the Poplar Motel.

He said he’s been fielding calls from concerned customers and is worried about cancellations if the water continues to rise.

“Most of your business is July, August, September so it is concerning but there is nothing you can do it’s mother nature,” he said.

Matthew Johnson, the manager of the Holiday Inn that operates the Starlight Marina, says boaters are being asked to stay off the high water.

“The city and the police force has asked us not to rent out any boats and try to discourage people from taking those out onto the lake,” he said.

US officials who monitor the south end of Osoyoos Lake in Washington State say the water level has risen sharply this week, up 25 centimetres since Monday. That’s an average of six centimetres a day.

The lake currently sits at 278.65 meters above sea level, about 60 centimetres above normal.

Officials say given the current conditions, Osoyoos Lake could reach a 20-year high.

“Most likely the folks that live around that lake are going to experience flooding of their property and homes,” said Karla Kozakevich, Chair Regional District Okanagan Similkameen.

All watersheds in the Okanagan Valley flow to Osoyoos.

The Okanagan River carries water from Okanagan Lake through Penticton, into Skaha and Vaseux lakes before ending up in Osoyoos Lake.

Levels are regulated at Zosel Dam in the U.S. and that dam is wide open, so there is more water coming into the lake then can be released.

The message from the Town of Osoyoos is to be prepared for flooding.

“We are asking people to sandbag. It is really dependent on how much water comes down on the Simikameen River and backflows into Osoyoos Lake and we won’t know those numbers depending on what the weather is going to do,” said Janette Van Vianen, Osoyoos Emergency Co-ordinator.

Osoyoos mayor Sue McKortoff said the tourism and hospitality industry, a huge part of the local economy, could take a hit.

“There is a lot of boating industries around here and paddle boats and SeaDoo-ing and that type of thing so I expect that some of those are going to suffer a little bit if the water continues to rise.”

With Okanagan Lake hitting record levels, Osoyoos residents can only wait to see what’s coming their way.