A rising North Okangan lake is putting two homes, in a rural area outside of Lumby, B.C., at risk of flooding.
Residents of the threatened properties on Rawlings Lake Road say confusion over who is responsible for managing the water overflowing Rawlings Lake has left them unsure where to turn.
Over the past few weeks, as snow at higher elevations begins to melt, Celeste Kula said the lake has swelled right up to her family’s fence line and water has begun seeping into their basement.
“I think the water in our basement is fixable. That’s not the stressful part,” Kula said.
“It’s that the lake just keeps on growing. That’s what’s stressful and trying to figure out what to do with that is hard.”
Next door there is water under a corner of the raised home.
Two hundred sandbags and pumps haven’t been enough to stop the water from creeping up the property.
“We’ve lost our yard, for now, and it’s very scary,” said Kula’s neighbour, Crystil Mathers.
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Confusion about who is responsible for managing the lake, which residents say is located on a neighbouring private property, is leaving those whose properties are threatened unsure where to turn.
Kula said it has been difficult to figure out whether the province or private landowners are responsible for dealing with the water.
“We are not getting really any help from anybody at this point other than, ‘You should call this person,'” Mathers said.
“We really don’t know what else to do.”
There are unanswered questions about whether residents of the flood threatened properties could step in themselves to do flood mitigation work on the lake.
“We have equipment and we are able to do that but because it is private property then there is an issue with are we allowed to do that? Are we allowed to go onto their property and fix our problem?” she said.
However, if nothing is done, Kula fears her family will be forced off their properties.
Global Okanagan reached out to the neighbouring property owners and the province. As of publication, neither had provided a response to the flood concerns raised by the residents.
The regional district weighed in that it is typically up to private property owners to ensure their properties are safe.