Flood Review

[Urban Cowboy]

No matter how many taxpayer dollars spent they were all wasted if the operator was only given bi-monthly data rather than daily data at the most crucial part of the flood control season. The change with the snow pack and stream flows had been likely changed for over a week or two before the operator was even informed any change had taken place or started to take place.

And again, look at the graph and it's very clear that data was consistently indicative of future drought conditions through to April, with massive increased snow and rain in May and through into June.
By April it was already too late to bring down the lake enough to allow for what was yet to come. Remember the water is flowing out all the time, and he can only open it up so far.
The data is all there, as well as explanations for why things transpired the way they did. The thing is you and a few others, now still cranky, because possibly you had some flooding issues, need a scapegoat to vent your anger at, and are basically venting with hindsight as your fuel.

Had the guy in charge of the gates known what lay ahead he would have opened the gates more in February and March to make room for what was going to come into the lake. Unfortunately the poor fellow wasn't psychic and used the data he had.

If you think two weeks would have made more than a tiny dent in the grand scheme of things, then you are dreaming.

[Urban Cowboy]

A lot of good that would do you, when said daily data tells you the same thing the graph did, that drought was looming, and by the time that data changed, it was too late to plan for the fluke spring weather we got.

The graph is hindsight info.
The daily snow pack levels, daily weather and a five day forecast for Big White are all available on line each and every day for anyone to read but as it has been pointed out that the data given to the gate operator is only collected and processed couple weeks or so.
The graph clearly shows conditions changed substantially in the first two weeks of April. If the operator had been given data updates daily rather than bi-monthly at this most crucial time of the year for gate operation you can bet there would have been a much different outcome with regard to the lake level last year.

Hindsight info that would have been exactly the same, if he had readings every day, given that the line in the graph is dang near straight along the lowest historical low level mark, sometimes even dipped below that. *removed*
They don't make decisions based on hours, but rather have to do their best to predict ahead.

*removed*

[dirtybiker]

average and below average snow pac are easeier to manage it easier to fill than drain,freshet is from april 1 to july 1 start filling in may don,t start draining in may.

Easier to fill ?
From higher elevation water Reserves ?

Ya, I don't see any problems with that.

<<<<shakes head>>>>>

[dirtybiker]

If a few of the people on here were in control there would be no lake,
no fishery, and no drinking water !

[ferri]

*We're getting close to making this personal. Don't do that please. Thanks.

[TreeGuy]

If a few of the people on here were in control there would be no lake,
no fishery, and no drinking water !

Well that’d take care of bridge traffic.

[goodswimmer]

I predict the worst flood ever this year

[Frisk]

The graystokes (mission creek) snow monitoring station is getting close to marching into new territory for this time of year. It's still fairly close to the historical average though.

[Urban Cowboy]

I'd bet that if the graph looked like that last year, the gate keeper would have opened them for higher outflow much sooner.

[dirtybiker]

I predict the worst flood ever this year

Prediction time ?

Fine.

Buy your bug juice, I predict a whole lota mosquitoes this summer !

[Glacier]

I'd bet that if the graph looked like that last year, the gate keeper would have opened them for higher outflow much sooner.

But quick, the 20/20 hindsight Castanet posters want him to shut the flood gates now because we're going to have a record dry Spring and summer! Okay, they're not saying that yet, but if that were to happen, and the lake got too low, they'd be telling us about he should have known back in February.

[alanjh595]

We have had a sudden temp. increase this morning, plus a jump in wind speed.

I am wondering if this could play out like it did last year's flood.

[Urban Cowboy]

Quick, drain the lake already!

[Frisk]

[alanjh595]

Current snowpack levels in the Okanagan Valley and in the Similkameen are "concerning" for the province's River Forecast Centre.

Data released on Wednesday show the snowpack level to Feb. 1 in the Okanagan is 131 per cent of normal, and in the Similkameen that level is 135 per cent.

Those snowpack levels are much higher than what they were on Feb. 1 last year, when the Okanagan was at 78 per cent and the Similkameen was at 73 per cent.

"I think we're getting to the time of year where the numbers that we've got are starting to be a little more of a concern," David Campbell said, section head at the River Forecast Centre.

Campbell added 120 per cent of normal is the threshold for where the province starts to get worried of the potential for flooding this time of year.

"Obviously as we get into March or even April 1st, that's probably the benchmark for us to say we've got enough snow now that we can really get that outlook nailed down," he said.

"It's not that we're going to see flooding, it's more that we have the kind of snowpack that it's more likely to happen."

He said snowpack levels in the area likely won't go down by much in the next couple months, adding they're likely to stay close to where they're at.

However, the snowpack level increased "considerably" in late-January in the southern half of the province due to unsettled weather, according to the River Forecast Centre's report.

Campbell said those trends could be problematic if they persist.

"I think the concern is, do we continue to see the trend we're seeing already? Does that carry on for another two to three months? Then I think that would be certainly concerning from a flood perspective."

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... concerning