Wakeboarders are being asked to take a break for a bit.
High water continues to float concerns on Kalamalka, Wood and Okanagan lakes.
“Okanagan Lake is actually more than full pool,” Lake Country Coun. Blair Ireland said, as levels are above 2018 but below 2017.
Therefore Ireland is asking wakeboard boat drivers to stop wake surfing for a couple weeks until the lake goes down.
“It doesn’t matter how far out they are; those waves that they generate travel across the entire lake,” Ireland said at the June 16 council meeting. “Just hold off for a little while.”
Meanwhile, the Central Okanagan Regional District Emergency Operations Centre, along with local governments, is asking boaters to slow down as some lakefront properties, including Oyama Community Hall, are experiencing flooding.
“We can’t control Mother Nature, who has given us plenty of rain so far, May and June have been extremely wet,” emergency program coordinator Sandra Follack said.
“We know that the lakes in the area are in incredible and we want to be on them.”
But, Follack said: “It’s extremely important for boaters to keep speeds low.
“We are becoming more and more concerned about wave action.”
While lake levels remain high throughout the Okanagan, CORD urges the following:
1. Boaters/jet skis/other motorized watercraft are asked to keep speeds slow to keep wake generating activity to a minimum, especially close to shore.
2. Lakefront property owners should bolster areas of their property prone to flooding.
Central Okanagan Regional District Emergency thanks everyone for their cooperation over the next several weeks while lake levels are expected to remain high.
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