Wet weather has left Prather Lake on St. Andrews Golf Course with high water levels, but the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has plans to pump the water out.
The RDOS has announced that they will be working with the owner of the golf course to reduce the lakes water levels.
Prather Lake, in the middle of the golf course, has no natural outlet and forecasted rain and snow melt are expected to add even more water in an uncontrolled fashion. The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development has ordered the owner of St. Andrews to reduce water in the lake before then.
Water from the lake will be pumped into the headwaters of Kearns Creek. The creek runs downstream to the community of Willowbrook, which is under a state of local emergency due to flooding and high water in an upstream dam.
The RDOS says that their involvement will allow for controlled management of pumping to protect all homes in the watershed and will help prevent uncontrolled or emergency pumping later this spring after expected rains and snow melt.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is removing a section of road along Carr Crescent in Willowbrook. This will allow for water, which is pooling near homes, to move downstream effectively. Residents can use alternate routes to access all homes in the area.
An earthen dam on Kearns Creek above Willowbrook was near capacity this spring and will continue to be managed to maintain its stability. The water in the Kearns Creek Dam has already been lowered. The risk to this dam has been reduced significantly.
The RDOS has provided additional locations for sand and sand bags for property owners across the South Okanagan and Similkameen. These are for property owners to set up preventative defenses from water moving onto their property. Property owners should monitor their basements, move all valuables off the floor and prepare for higher water levels as upland snow continues to melt.
An up-to-date map link with sand and sand bag locations is available online here.
The Emergency Operations Centre continues will remain open as required. For more information, call 250-490-4225 or visit www.rdos.bc.ca.
