Monitoring lake level to prevent flood

[andrea-lake]

Notwithstanding the recent report on the 2017 flood review, there's still an urgent need for a constructive action plan to avoid another flood this year. In the past when there's been a high snow pack combined with high precipitation, they have drawn the lake down to the 1.2 level shown in the graph below. This equals 341.45 metres. To be fair, Mr. Reimer states in his latest interview video that he's drawing the lake down by 0.5 cm per day over the next 20 days and that will take it down from the current level of 1.32 on the graph below to 1.22 which is roughly were we need it.

However, there needs to be public pressure to keep him on course. One of the inputs into their decision making model is the concern of the public along with all the other inputs (snowpack & rainfall data, fish hatcheries, international agreements, etc.) If anyone can find the actual snow pack graph for 1997 similar to what others have posted for current years that would be helpful. I could only find text data shown at the link below.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... pring-melt
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/envir ... n_1997.pdf

[tsayta]

he knows what to do

[Urban Cowboy]

He knows what to do, plus there's already enough threads, where people are griping about the poor guy.

[stevemic]

the guy didn't screw up before so he wont screw up again

[the truth]

he knows what to do

just like last year

[Urban Cowboy]

he knows what to do

just like last year

Always easy to become an expert on a topic, after the fact!

This begs the logical question, why was there no thread started, say in February last year, suggesting the lake level be dropped?

I mean after all, there are at least four of you, who presume you could have done a better job than the floodgate keeper.

With your advance knowledge of what was looming, it was your duty to warn us all.

[Glacier]

[andrea-lake]

We understand that Sean Reimer knows what to do based on historical records but he is not the sole decision-maker. Besides the standard operating procedures noted in Mr. Guy's Flood Review Report, there are political interests that contribute to the ultimate decision on the lake level. It's the balance of power among those interests that determines the final decision. This year, the public has a chance to contribute to that balance of power and ensure there's an adequate safety margin built into the management of the lake level. Mr. Reimer's statement that he plans to draw the lake down from now until mid-April by 0.5 cm a day implies a drop of 10 cm from now until then. This is the correct decision and he might need public support to stay the course in the face of political interests lobbying to keep the lake higher. Below is a link to the real-time graph showing the lake level day by day.

The graph below shows the lake dropping at the appropriate speed (similar to the red line in the 1997 graph shown in the original post). If the line flattens out before it hits 1.2 in mid-April, there could be a problem if the snow pack remains at the present high level.

https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/report/rea ... ax=&y2Min=

We all understand that the cost of drawing down the lake too far and having a minor shortage of water is much less than the cost of failing to draw it down sufficiently to prevent major flood damage - physical, economic and emotional.

P.S. Thanks to the person who posted the 1997 snowpack graphic.

[andrea-lake]

Castanet story, "LAKE LEVEL SHOOTS UP" March 23, states how critical it is to keep monitoring and lowering the level:

"Overnight rainfall appears to have virtually wiped out any gains made over the last week to drain Okanagan Lake.
The lake levels were down to 1.32 metres above normal as of March 16, but overnight that level jumped up to 1.35 metres above normal.
The province has been working to monitor lake levels and has been letting as much as a centimetre and a half out of the lake per day".

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/2 ... -shoots-up

[andrea-lake]

*removed*

[andrea-lake]

Mr. Reimer's original plan to draw down the lake by 0.5 cm per day would have reduced the level by 10 to 12 cm by mid-April. However, the recent heavy rain has not allowed the lake to drop at all in the past week. Now to achieve the same goal in a shorter period of time, the outflow at Penticton has to be significantly increased above the level where it's currently being kept.
Details are shown in the graphs posted March 25 in the "Flood Review" forum. This is a simple, achievable goal that can avoid the widespread flood damage caused by high lake levels. Of course, lowering the lake won't prevent potential flooding along the creeks as the City has warned, if there is rapid snowmelt combined with heavy rain.

[LTD]

]

Always easy to become an expert on a topic, after the fact!

This begs the logical question, why was there no thread started, say in February last year, suggesting the lake level be dropped?

I mean after all, there are at least four of you, who presume you could have done a better job than the floodgate keeper.

With your advance knowledge of what was looming, it was your duty to warn us all.

[/quote]
the warnings were there just had to get out of the office or off the couch

[the truth]

just like this year

[common_sense_guy]

I am hoping for a boat ban again this year because last year was amazing for kayaking

[lesliepaul]

Monitoring............thank god! After that there's not much more they are going to do simply because.........."god will make the water go down just like he makes all of the snow melt in Kelowna, eventually". Kelowna is ill-prepared for so much.