What reeks at your local beach?

KELOWNA – Up and down the shores of Lake Okanagan, countless microorganisms are working day and night to get rid of all the vegetation that’s drowned in the flood.

It’s a smelly process.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operation spokesperson Kirsten Jones says the sewage-like odour shows up seemingly from nowhere and has been reported at beaches from Penticton to Vernon.

“Essentially the things that need oxygen to grow aren’t getting it and they’re dying,” she says. “The smell is rotting plant material.”

With perhaps a few exceptions in specific locations, nothing’s leaking, she says, the smell is not sewage and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

“As (the lake) recedes things will reveal themselves,” she says. “A lot of things will need time to adjust.”

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.