District of Lake Country

Watch for WildSafeBC reps around the Central Okanagan providing education and info tips to help us all reduce wildlife/human conflicts.

The District of Lake Country is looking for one more Summer Student to join the Public Works team this year. Apply before May 11 at lakecountry.bc.ca/careers Summer students will be asked to complete a wide range of tasks, including assisting staff with basic roads and works maintenance operations; fill potholes, pick up debris and litter from roadsides, creeks and parking lots; cut grass with a weed eater; hand dig and back fill where necessary for storm sewer, catch basin and manhole hole repairs and assist in the placement of pipe, manholes and catch basins. Training will be provided before any staff is asked to complete a task or operate a piece of equipment.

If you are using Earth Day as a scheduling/planning day for your planting projects, make sure to check the plant collection list at www.makewaterwork.ca/plants. It will help you create something that celebrates the beauty of the Okanagan and make water work more effectively in your yard.

#LakeCountry - What are you doing Earth Day 2021? Amid a global pandemic when we can’t gather in groups for large community clean up or planting events, it’s the small things we do individually that add up to make a significant difference! We hope you are enjoying the lovely smell of fresh air, contact with the soil and companionship with nature! Walk, cycle, paddle, plant, get outdoors and enjoy. ... 6 simple things to do to celebrate Earth Day: 1) Plant something; 2) Walk or ride a bike instead of driving; 3) Use reusable bags; 4) Buy produce, plants, or seeds from a local farm market; 5) Use a refillable water bottle; 6) Organize your own family clean up in your neighbourhood. To help get you started, we’ve got a Lake Country reusable shopping bag for pick up by the first 10 people that comment below sharing what you do to contribute to sustainability of our local environment. #earthday2021 #supportlocal #gogreen

Use extra care with smoking materials and campfires.

Thank you to everyone who entered the "Take a Break From Cooking" Contest. We had an amazing response to the contest and thank you to everyone for continuing to support local restaurants in Lake Country. The three winners of a $200 Gift Certificate to a local restaurant of choice are: **Angelika Offenwanger, Mark Krugel & Michael Yang** Congratulations and keep supporting local!

Don’t forget to register for this Earth Day trivia.

What is your favourite spot to view the Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers blooming in April?

Make sure you have the information first, so you can share it with others in your circle. Subscribe to get Lake Country Community News, Public Notices, and Emergency Alerts DIRECT to your EMAIL inbox before it hits the social media channels and news media. Tip: The Community News theme includes Parks & Recreation, Special events and activities, Utility and Tax bill info, Projects and Construction and other important details from Municipal Hall that you'll want to know about before it becomes old news. https://www.lakecountry.bc.ca/subscribe

Good news for tennis enthusiasts!! The courts are now OPEN at Woodsdale, Coral Beach, and Benchlands.

Registration OPENS Friday, March 5th, but you can enjoy a sneak peek of the 2021 Spring + Summer Activity Guide online now before the print publication hits your mailbox.

January 13, 2021 Windstorm Impacts 3:30pm UPDATE: Residents throughout Lake Country have felt the impacts of the significant windstorm overnight January 13, 2021 -- power outages throughout the community, emergency water shut off in Okanagan Centre, and road closures due to downed trees and power lines to name a few. Update details at 3:30 pm Wednesday, January 13 are as follows: Emergency Watermain repair in Okanagan Centre: A large landmark tree on Hare Rd shifted in t...he windstorm overnight and damaged the nearby watermain serving a large segment of the community from Hare Rd to Okanagan Centre Rd West between Camp Rd and Tenth Street. A specialist arborist crew and crane had to be brought in early Wednesday to delimb and remove the huge tree before water crews could get to work to restore water service to the area. Water will likely be shut off until after 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. Water supply, when resumed, may be discolored due to deposits in pipes it is not harmful as the water has been disinfected. Running an outside tap or the cold water tap it your bathtub or outside tap for several minutes should eliminate both air and discolored water problems. ROAD CLOSURES: Okanagan Centre Road East: BC Hydro crews are addressing downed trees, power poles and lines on Okanagan Centre Road East between Williams Rd and Robinson Rd. This segment is still CLOSED to vehicle traffic as repairs are made Wednesday. Check BC Hydro website for updates on the estimated time of power restoration. https://www.bchydro.com/power-outages/ Okanagan Centre Road West: Crews are working to remove downed trees on Okanagan Centre Road West between Camp Rd north to Carr’s Landing Road and no thru traffic is permitted yet. Long Road: Crews are working to removed downed trees on Long Road in the Highlands neighbourhood of Lakestone. Road closure in effect until work is completed safely. Hare Road: Crane and arborist crew as well as District of Lake Country Water crew is working to remove tree and restore water service. Local resident traffic only allowed on Hare Road until repairs are complete late Wednesday night. Thank you for your patience and cooperation with travel control personnel including flagger crews, LCFD fire fighters and District staff. Your safety is our priority.

Watch for workers around the community Wednesday, January 13 addressing downed trees, power and water outages. Please pay attention to direction from traffic control flaggers, firefighters and municipal team members. Thanks for your patience and cooperation! Traffic impacts of note: Okanagan Centre Rd East is CLOSED to traffic between Williams and Davidson (various trees impacting power lines and poles); Hare Rd is closed to everyone other than residents and work crews; Okanagan Centre Rd West from Camp Rd to Carr’s Landing Rd is closed while crews address damaged trees and power lines.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) is seeking feedback on its Wood Stove Exchange Program. The RDCO program supports cleaner air by providing financial incentives to help people replace old, smoky wood stoves with cleaner options. To evaluate and improve the Wood Stove Exchange Program, an online public survey is being conducted until Jan. 17. People who own a residential wood burning appliance in Lake Country is encouraged to participate. To thank participants... for their time, two names will be randomly drawn to win a $100 ‘The Local’ gift card. In the Central Okanagan, 30 per cent of air pollution comes from residential wood burning. Wood burning creates air pollution by increasing particulate matter, or PM 2.5, which contains fine particles that can cause health problems. Since 2001, Wood Stove Exchange Program rebates have been used to replace over 700 old wood stoves with cleaner models such as gas or pellet stoves, electric heat pumps, or new emission-certified wood stoves. The Central Okanagan Wood Stove Exchange Program is provided with support from the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. To complete the survey and learn more about the program and wood burning best practices, visit https://www.regionaldistrict.com/y/air-quality-program.aspx.

Emergency Water Outage in Okanagan Centre from Hare Rd to Okanagan Centre Rd West all day Wednesday, Jan 13. Due to the windstorm and tree impacts, a watermain break on Hare Rd has resulted in a water outage to customers in Okanagan Centre. The water crew, a specialist arborist and team is on site to assess the damage and make repairs. A crane will be brought in to remove the damaged tree so the water repairs can be made without risk to the crew. Thanks for your patience everyone! More info will be shared as it becomes available.

Wow that windstorm caused some damage! While the power has been restored to the over 1700 BC Hydro customers in Oyama that had no power since 4:43am, the power is still off in many areas of the community. Sweep up your shingles and tree branches and pick up the lawn furniture that took itself on a visit to your neighbour’s place, then look for a place that has power to make coffee Wednesday morning.