The community of Green Bay has been fortifying sandbag walls in anticipation of flooding on their West Kelowna lakefront properties.
As of Thursday afternoon, dozens of homes in the Green Bay neighbourhood on Okanagan Lake were put on Evacuation Alert and told to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
Properties affected include:
-1302 to 1454 Green Bay Road
-3660 to 3697 Green Bay Landing
-3575 to 3636 Wiig Road
All waterfront properties on Westbank First Nations Indian Reserve #10 between the WR Bennett Bridge and the old ferry wharf and several lakefront cabins on Lindley Road are also on Evacuation Alert.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations recommended sandbagging and removing items from crawlspaces and basements.
Information about how to protect property can be found at www.cordemergency.ca/beprepared
While the lake is currently fluctuating near the 343 metre mark, it is recommended that property owners protect their structures and properties to the 343.6 metre mark to prepare for wave action.
A document published by the Okanagan Basin Water Board in 2000, prepared by B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Water Management Engineer B.J. Symonds, stated records he found showed Okanagan Lake’s highest recorded natural lake level was 343.72 metres in 1904.
So far, Emergency Operations information has stated records kept only show a flood level of 343 metres in 1948.
Symonds also wrote that there were reports of higher lake levels in both 1894 and 1896 but no official record.
A link to his published report can be found here.
Since May 8, 566 truckloads of sand have been delivered to Central Okanagan neighbourhoods and 930,000 sandbags have been ordered.
Warm temperatures into the weekend are expected to increase levels on Okanagan Lake.