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Okanagan Lake Dam called 91Ƶinadequate91Ƶ for flood mitigation

Climate change is driving the changes in lake levels, the Okanagan Basin Water Board said
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The Okanagan Lake Dam pictured in 2019. (Okanagan WaterWise/Facebook)

The Okanagan Lake dam, in its current state, is not enough to manage the rapidly changing water levels at the lake.

Executive director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) Anna Warwick Sears said as much in a report submitted to a provincial financial committee asking for funding for a variety of fixes 91Ƶ the most imminent being the aging Okanagan Lake Dam.

Water regulating infrastructures typically have a lifespan of 70 to 80 years. The Okanagan Dam is now more than 60 years old.

91ƵIt is inadequate for managing future floods91Ƶ given the increased volume and frequency of floods as a result of climate change, and the Province of B.C. needs to begin planning for its replacement,91Ƶ she wrote.

The dam is owned and operated by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD). The board partnered with the ministry to develop a plan to modernize the lake91Ƶs regulation system but in order for work to begin, funding is needed, according to Warwick Sears.

91ƵFlooding is projected to become much more common in the next few decades, damaging public and private infrastructure at great cost.91Ƶ

The board is asking for $1 million over the next five years in order to fund further studies and replacement of the infrastructure. In the report, Warwick Sears stated the OBWB is also asking to establish a permanent watershed security fund, so water suppliers who draw from streams and reservoirs can respond to damage by restoring resources.

91ƵThe Watershed Security Fund would provide funding to Okanagan water suppliers to restore damage to source areas from resource development and recreation, improving wildlife habitat as well as reversing water quality degradation.91Ƶ

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twila.amato@blackpress.ca

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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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