Shuswap River expected to peak June 10

The flood threat has taken a positive turn for parts of the Okanagan, but the tense times continue for residents in the Enderby area.

The BC River Forecast Centre has downgraded a flood watch….to a high streamflow advisory for creeks and streams around Vernon, Lumby, Winfield and Kelowna, and also for the Salmon River near Salmon Arm.

The City of Enderby said levels on the Shuswap River are expected to rapidly rise over the next day.

“River levels are currently reading at 437.3 cubic metres per second, said Tate Bengtson, chief administrative officer/emergency operations centre director. “Levels will rapidly rise over the next day as the rains of this past weekend impact the Shuswap River and the areas that drain into it. After that, we are expecting the rise to taper off slightly, but the river will continue to increase its level over the next 10 days, with a forecast high of 515.6 cubic metres per second on June 10.”

The city has closed Tuey Park (also known as Waterwheel Park) as it’s submerged.

Traffic on Waterwheel Street is restricted to local traffic only, and the submerged portion of the road adjacent to agricultural land has been gated off (no residential accesses are restricted).

Bengtson said thankfully, the precipitation over the weekend was not as bad as forecasted, although it did contribute to a further rise in river levels.

“If your property is at-risk of flooding, please take advance measures to protect it. Sand and sandbags are available for free at the Public Works Yard at 2308 McGowan Avenue – please bring your own shovel.”

The BC River Forecast Centre is maintaining a high streamflow advisory for the Shuswap River, which means that the centre is predicting that river levels will continue rising and localized flooding is possible. A high streamflow advisory can escalate quickly into a higher level of warning, like a Flood Watch or a Flood Warning, due to temperature, precipitation, and snowpack.