Reservoir stops spilling early
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Updated: July 01, 2009 12:25 PM
The water has stopped spilling at Thirsk Lake, much earlier than usual.
Scott Lee, water operations manager for Summerland, said the reservoir lake stopped spilling on June 23, the third earliest date recorded.
“I’d call it significant,” he said.
The only earlier dates were in 1992 when the reservoir stopped spilling on June 22, and 1979 when it stopped on June 20.
Lee said a recent cool and rainy weekend helped to reduce some of the need for irrigation water, but added that the community is still anticipating a long, hot summer with demands on its water supply.
“One wettish weekend isn’t going to change the net result,” he said.
The winter was drier than normal and for the first time ever, the municipality had to release water from upper reservoirs to meet winter demand.
All reservoirs except Garnett Lake filled this year, but elsewhere in the Okanagan, some of the reservoirs for other communities did not fill.
Water filling into Okanagan Lake is expected to be just 43 per cent of the long term average.
Last week, the community went into Stage 2 watering restrictions in an attempt to slow the use of water.
Stage 1 restrictions allow residential irrigation three times a week while under Stage 2 restrictions, watering is allowed twice a week.
The municipality is also working to curb water use for 19 agricultural users believed to be using more water than necessary.
In recent years, the municipality has been using water in storage earlier than in the past.
In the 1970s to the 1990s, with two exceptions, the reservoirs would stop spilling in July or August.
In at least three years, the dams did not stop spilling.
Since 2000, the reservoirs have stopped spilling in late June or the first few days of July.
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