Okanagan Falls, B.C. residents, officials closely monitoring creek levels

Water levels in Okanagan Falls, B.C.’s Shuttleworth Creek have gone down significantly since last week, however with warmer temperatures in the forecast, that could quickly change.

Longtime Okanagan Falls resident, Ted Lynch, has been watching the creek near his home and says it could be the calm before the storm.

“It started coming in earlier last week and it’s still up quite a bit. But from what I see in the temperature projections, by Sunday, we may have a lot more water here,” said Lynch.

“Then throughout the fall, next week, it’s going be hot so I think we could have some trouble here.”

2:27 Parts of Okanagan Falls under evacuation alert

Back in 2018, Shuttleworth Creek breached its banks and flooded several homes in the area. Water damaged a number of homes and some roads.

“Three or four years ago it got into a lot of houses, in crawlspace. It didn’t really take any away as it’s a little bit too small to carry a building. So, it can and it can jump the bank,” said Lynch.

“My house] is quite a bit higher, so we don’t have to worry about it. But then you never know, if the creek jumps upstream and comes roaring across the village.”

With hot weather in the forecast, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) is keeping an evacuation alert active due to the potential flooding in the area.

The alert includes 75 properties in Electoral Area ‘D’ adjacent to Shuttleworth Creek.

“It’s a mechanism for homeowners to prepare to evacuate,” said RDOS Emergency Services manager Sean Vaisler.

“It is not an order, meaning that you have to evacuate at the moment, but the alert is essentially for the homeowners to get together a grab-and-go bag, make a plan and ensure they have an emergency kit in the event we have to evacuate them.”

2:37 The evacuation order for 54 properties in Okanagan Falls has been rescinded to an alert

The alert was originally issued last week, however, officials decided on Wednesday that it will remain in effect for those properties.

“RDOS staff have been at the site multiple times this week to assess the creek along with the Ministry of Forests, who is essentially responsible for all the waterways in the province,” said Vaisler.

“There’s no significant threat right now but with the warm temperatures, that’s where we want to keep the evacuation alert on.”

The RDOS has also activated several sandbag centres across the region. Information on where to find a centre can be found on the Regional District website.

2:14 Fifty-four properties now on evacuation order in Okanagan Falls after Shuttleworth Creek breached its banks