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Water levels in the Okanagan Lake are expected to continue to slowly rise throughout the week with hot temperatures predicted over the next few days followed by rainfall at the end of the week.
Speaking at a news conference at the Fire Hall on Enterprise Avenue on Monday, City Manager, Ron Mattiussi spoke at length about what Kelowna residents should prepare for in regards to flooding and rising water levels in the lake.
Raw video of the full Central Okanagan Emergency Operations press briefing
“Temperatures will warm up over the next couple days and Mission Creek will start picking up stream… Unfortunately, by the weekend we should have cooler weather so the meltdown will be adding rain to that,” said Mattiussi.
Mattiussi also noted that groundwater seeping up through drains will likely result in road closures over the next couple weeks.
“Groundwater seems to be a factor and it’s not something that’s easy to determine... We can hold back the lake with sand bags but we can’t stop the groundwater from seeping up. So throughout the city over the next month, you’ll see roads partially closed or closed because groundwater now moves as the lake water moves up.”
Unfortunately for Kelowna residents, even after the snowpack has fully melted, it’s likely that the lake water levels won’t return to normal for a long time.
“Once the snowpack has gone, the lake will stabilize but it will take a long time," continued Mattiussi. "It’s just not going to stop one day and then within a week be gone. It could take a very long time for the lake to recede. It could take an awful long time to get back to something that resembles normal.”
In the meantime, Mattiussi assured residents that all sandbags will remain in place throughout the slow recovery until the lake stabilizes and water levels have declined.
According to Mattiusi, the current water levels in the Okanagan Lake are the highest they have ever been.
To stay updated with all the latest information regarding flooding and the rising water levels, click here.
To find out how you can help those affected by the flooding, click here.
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