By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The Town of Osoyoos, along with partners from the RDOS, regional member municipalities and local First Nations, is hosting a “Tiger Dam” demonstration on Sunday March 30, in Gyro Park between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The training exercise will familiarize first responders, utility workers and public works crews with how to install tiger dams when there is a threat of flooding.
The town notes members of the public are welcome to observe the Gyro Park exercise, but are asked to stay back from the training area which is located on the beach in front of the Watermark Beach Resort & Lakeside Hotel.
The Tiger Dams are modular and can be extended to virtually any length.
Contributed photo
In January, 2025, the Town of Osoyoos, RDOS, Lower Similkameen Indian Band and the Village of Keremeos were jointly awarded a $600,000 grant for Tiger Dams and two transport trailers from the UBCM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund.
These regional assets will support “preparedness and response during freshet and localized flooding events throughout the region,” the town said at the time.
The system is more cost effective, efficient and environmentally sound as compared to sandbags which have a limited lifespan and pose challenges due to the transportation, storage, and disposal requirements after a flood event. The Tiger Dams are also modular and can be connected to create barriers of varying lengths. Up until now the partners stored sandbags at up to 30 sandbag centres across the region.
