Sandbag pickup to start in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA – As Okanagan Lake continues to go down and get closer to full pool, the City of West Kelowna is working to remove flood protection measures from public and private land.

The City is working with the Regional Emergency Program in coordination with the City’s Parks Department to remove the sandbags.

Areas where work is underway or beginning shortly will be sign posted. At the moment, crews are removing sandbags from Green Bay, Pritchard Drive and Gellatly Road and Whitworth Road areas, according to a City of West Kelowna press release.

Sandbag pickup will resume in Casa Loma early next week.

For those who are taking it upon themselves to remove their own sandbags, officials are asking for sandbags to be separated into burlap and polypropylene piles, and moved to the roadside for pickup.

The following parks are now open, or will be opening soon.

Paddlewheeler Park – Pritchard Drive
Pritchard Park – Pritchard Drive
Aberdeen Park – West Bay Road
Casa Loma Dock (opens Thursday, July 20)
Willow Beach – Gellatly Road
Marina Beach – Gellatly Road
Pebble Beach – Whitworth Road
CNR Wharf – Gellatly Road
Rotary Beach – Gellatly Road
Gellatly Landing Park – Gellatly Road
Casa Rio Park – Casa Rio Drive
John Dupuis (Casa Loma) Boat Launch – Casa Loma Road
Gellatly Boat Launch – Gellatly Road
Casa Loma Waterfront Access – Casa Loma Road (south)

The following parks remain closed.

Jennens Park – Jennens Road
Hitchner Park – Jennens Road
Gellatly Walkway – Gellatly Road
Beechnut Park – George Court
Hazelnut Park – Whitworth Road
Heartnut Park – Whitworth Road
Casa Loma Beach Park – Casa Loma Road (north)

These parks join the list of eight parks now closed due to extreme fire hazard. The province remains at a state-of-emergency due to over one hundred fires currently burning. There is also a B.C. wide campfire ban.

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