Kalamalka Lake boaters asked to reduce wakes to prevent Okanagan Rail Trail erosion

Boaters on Kalamalka Lake are being asked to keep their wakes to a minimum when near the Okanagan Rail Trail to help prevent erosion to the lakeshore.

In a media release, the Regional District says snowmelt and groundwater discharge is causing high water levels on Kalamalka Lake and boats should keep waves to a minimum when within 40 metres of the shoreline.

The measure helps to reduce erosion along the rail trail and lakeside properties.

"The erosion work we have completed on the Okanagan Rail Trail is only on small sections of the trail. This was mainly to fix sections that had been damaged by previous storms," Regional District general manager Mike Fox said in the release

"To mitigate erosion on the entire Regional District of North Okanagan stretch of the Okanagan Rail Trail would cost millions."

The Regional District says that while natural factors like storms and high water levels cause erosion, taking man-made waves out of the equation is an achievable action and a preventative measure that helps cut down on erosion.

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