People living either upstream or downstream from the Nicola Lake Dam are being advised to take precautions and prepare for high water levels.

An updated forecast will be available on Monday, May 7, 2018, from British Columbia’s River Forecast Centre for the Nicola Lake watershed. In the meantime, forecasted inflows from the start of April to July are 159% of normal.

As well, a local snow pillow has melted 30% over the past week. As of April 30, the snow level was approximately 1,500 metres. In anticipation of high inflow during freshet, Nicola Lake has been drawn down to historical levels since its reconstruction in 1987.

While the gates on the Nicola Lake Dam have been open to maximize the outflow for over a month, the channel immediately upstream from the dam has been restricting flow, limiting the ability to maintain the low level recorded in April.

Weather will play a role in the maximum level in the lake and the amounts of water released downstream. If current conditions continue, the lake is expected to reach full supply, and possibly higher, within 10 days. Full supply is the level reached every year, an elevation of 625.83 metres. The elevation reached in 2017 was 627 metres.

Information on how to prepare for potential flooding can be found online: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/preparedbc/know-the-risks/floods

Breaking flood-related news can also be monitored using Twitter: @EmergencyInfoBC