Restoration work is underway following wildfires at White Rock Lake in Okanagan

Restoration work continues after last summer’s wildfires on White Rock Lake.

In the summer of 2021, the fires burned thousands of hectares in the Central Okanagan Regional District (RDCO) and damaged or destroyed 78 homes.

Although RDCO’s Recovery/Resiliency Office is currently closed, local districts continue to provide ongoing services and support to affected residents through the various stages of reconstruction. This is done through the local District Engineering Services and Community Services staff.

Requests for information or assistance to the office are forwarded to the appropriate department or partner agency for follow-up action.

As of early November, 61 demolition permit applications have been received and approved, and 42 have already been completed. To date, 34 building permits have been granted and 27 have been approved. Staff will continue to check on what is going on.

Four temporary RV permit applications have been received and approved. Six development permit applications have also been received and approved.

Caseworkers have contacted more than 50 residents directly affected by the bushfires and confirmed that they may be interested in RDCO’s debris management and/or hazard tree reimbursement programs. The Canadian Red Cross reviewed the insurance policies of her 21 property owners who expressed interest in the program. Based on these recommendations and the scope of the program, RDCO has determined that 13 are eligible to help manage debris and hazard trees.

RDCO will provide the first debris management reimbursement checks in late May, and by late October will issue more than $100,000 to eligible property owners to replace contaminated soil, concrete, and hazardous materials as a result of the wildfires. Made it possible to deal with the cost of removing trees.

A local concrete and large tree debris dumpsite, set up in late April along the Forest Service Road at Sugar Loaf Mountain, helped reduce transportation costs for residents. The site is currently closed and is not accepting any further debris loading. Some of the materials are expected to be recycled and used locally. The concrete may be crushed and used as the base for the proposed North West Side Transfer Station expansion.

Owners of slopes affected by bushfires are encouraged to learn the warning signs of potential flooding and landslides. Such areas, including about 30 areas identified in geotechnical assessments conducted after the White Rock Lake fire, may be at increased risk, especially during heavy rainfall and snowmelt.

vernon wildfire