After nine months, McKinley Landing area residents are no longer living under a water quality advisory.
The Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District removed the advisory Thursday, saying the increased turbidity in Okanagan Lake water had finally lowered to a level that appeared consistent and not likely to spike back up again. The turbidity, originally caused by near-record excessive run-off last spring, remained in the water for the rest of the year, said Darren Schlamp, operations manager for the Glenmore Ellison Improvement District. He said GEID officials wanted to see it stay down before lifting the advisory.
The McKinley Landing advisory affected about 220 homes in the area.
But while that advisory was lifted, residents in the Glenmore Valley and Ellison were not so lucky. Residents in Glenmore, Quail Ridge,Wilden, UBCO, Dry Valley Road and Ellison all remain under a separate water quality advisory. The Glenmore advisiory dates back to 2006.
Schlamp said work is being done to switch the source for Glenmore’s water over from Mill Creek to Okanagan Lake and that will help. But the switch will be gradual because of the large amount of water in the McKinley Reservoir.It may not be fully moved replaced until 2014. The new pumping station, however, is expected to be finished in June.
