The sun has come out, the doomsday thunderstorm forecast fizzled out and the spring runoff flooding fears have subsided for the moment.
So that has left some Lake Country orchardists and farmers calling municipal hall to ask if the irrigation ban will be lifted today.
Not so fast.
The flooding from the past week has compromised the Oyama Lake and Beaver Lake water supply, leaving the municipality to rely completely on the lower valley lakes for domestic uses of water, from turning on the tap to flushing the toilet.
That basic water service requirements for potable supply and fire protection necessitated the irrigation ban, which will continue until the upper watershed infrastructure damage is repaired.
While the extreme flood warning status continues to be issued by the regional Emergency Operation Centre, the shift in concern is likely to be the valley bottom lake levels rising, flushed up by the torrential spring runoff and the higher elevation snowpack still not melted.
Duck Lake and Wood Lake have already exceeded their normal maximum depth levels, raising potential flood issues for lakefront residents. And that concern is expected to carry over to Kalamalka Lake and Okanagan Lake.
The EOC has already illustrated on area lake maps where the shoreline areas are most susceptible to flooding, warning residents to be prepared to sandbag against water entering their properties. See www.cordemergency.ca for more information.
Wood Lake residents at the south end of the lake have already heeded that advice, as water has begun to encroach on the Wood Lake Marina and Beasley Park foreshore.
As well, the erosion caused by the flushed out waterways up stream has added to the debris in Wood Lake, a concern for boaters and also lakeside residents with docks.
Lake Country parks staff improvised an idea to enhance dock protection by filling a series of garbage cans with water locked together by duck tape and bungy cord straps for the public boat launch dock on the Okanagan Centre shore of Okanagan Lake.
Adding to what might have been a flood disaster if the predictions had come true Thursday evening was a Winfield power outage for two hours, caused by osprey nesting on a power line near the Lake Country Lodge and Manor seniors’ residence and care home on Konschuh Road.
“One issue it caused for us is the emergency power backup for one of the sanitary lift stations at Wood Lake failed to come on, so we had to rush another generator to that source or there would have been a problem with the sewage flow,” said Karen Miller, communications officer for Lake Country.
But while the imminent danger threat might have passed for now at least, the road to recovery will be a long process, from people having to undergo flood damage renovations to their home and property, to watershed infrastructure and further flood protection and drainage upgrades, to collecting all the sandbags now in use.
