KELOWNA – Regular users of the popular Mission Creek Greenway will lose access to part of the creekside trail for almost six months, starting on Monday.

But in exchange, the whole of Kelowna will eventually be gaining a revitalized and restored waterway that will look a lot like the lower part of the creek did in the early 20th century before extensive channelling and diking took out many of its loops and curves.

Dubbed the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative, the project officially began in 2008 with detailed planning and property acquisition along the creek.

Actual restoration will begin next week as crews prepared to set back the creekside dikes that currently hold back the waterway, allowing a natural floodplain to develop while still containing floodwaters.

To accommodate construction, the south side of Mission Creek Greenway between Casorso Road and Gordon Drive will be closed beginning Monday, Oct. 19 ending in March 2016.

Over the next few weeks, crews will also be removing some trees along the creek, either for preservation and replanting, while building retaining walls around some large cottonwoods in hopes of keeping them alive.

The aim is to restore fish and wildlife habitat in the wetland area while also enhancing flood control measures and improving water quality.

Funding for the proejct comes from the City of Kelowna, the Government of B.C., the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.