Dave Caswell of the Okanagan Basin Water Board operates the rototiller from an enclosed cab. His time-sensitive work was interrupted last week when the machine was vandalized and tools and safety equipment were stolen. (Richard McGuire file photo)
Valuable time was lost last week in the milfoil control program on Osoyoos Lake when vandals damaged one of the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s (OBWB) rototilling machines and stole tools and safety equipment.
The incident occurred sometime during the night of Tuesday, Nov. 18 or the early morning of Wednesday, Nov. 19, said James Littley, OBWB office and projects manager.
The machine, which is a unique machine and boat, was docked at the Town of Osoyoos’ Desert Sunrise Marina.
“They took a sledgehammer mainly to locks and things like the locking cab door and they broke that open,” said Littley. “They also bent the roof of the toolbox open and broke off the locking fuel tank, but they didn’t smash any windows. They stole basically all of our safety equipment and several tools.”
The concern, said Littley, is that the OBWB is working in a tight time window before the lake freezes over.
He was hoping to get machine operator Dave Caswell back on the water early this week, but even the loss of a few days is a setback.
“If the lake freezes up and remains frozen for a long time, three days of labour can make a big difference to how successful we are in that program,” said Littley. “If we can’t make up that time, then it’s a real nuisance.”
The program was making good progress before the vandalism and theft, he said.
The portion of Osoyoos Lake south of the Hwy. 3 bridge was completed and Caswell was uprooting milfoil in the lake’s northern basin.
Rototilling is the most effective method of controlling this invasive aquatic plant because it pulls the plant up with its roots and it dies on the surface.
It can only be done during the winter when the lake is open because in warmer weather the uprooted plants again take root, thereby spreading it. In the summer, the OBWB mows the plant to a depth of about six feet, which is more of an esthetic treatment than a solution.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Osoyoos RCMP at 250-495-7236.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
