Thursday, June 7, 2018

Springtime Water Levels ~ Kamloops Lake ~ Thompson River

Water, water everywhere!  The annual high water in the area seems to have reached its seasonal high and we can only hope that there will be no more damage done.  We dealt with the flood of ’72 when our new home was flooded along with the rest of the Oak Hills subdivision so we know well the difficulties that can come from that.  

Beautiful Kamloops Lake
Today we are looking at high waters but enjoying the views.  Kamloops Lake, which is 1.6 km wide, 29 km long and 152 m deep, has reached the high water levels but will hopefully soon recede.  These measurements would vary, depending on the time of year but we get an idea of size from these.

Debris floats down lake
Over 60% of the fluctuation of the lake occurs during the spring months of May and June.  The lake levels rise as much as 9 m (30 ft) during this time.  This is when you can see debris being carried down the river in mass amounts.  Most of which are trees, twigs and branches from the shoreline but many other things have been seen over the years. 

Scenic Kamloops Lake
The South Thompson which flows from the Shuswap Lake and the North Thompson Rivers meet in Kamloops then widen out to be Kamloops Lake until it narrows down into the Thompson River again as it leaves Savona, about 50 km west of Kamloops.  It has limited accessibility along most of the shoreline but there are boat launches available for those who like to enjoy boating on this lovely lake.

Savona Park
The public park at Savona is covered in water but it hasn’t prevented some from enjoying the sunshine on this late day in May.  Some were seen at the park, on the wharf and boating.  It isn’t safe boating in water with this much debris as many pieces cannot be seen so boat with caution anytime but especially now.

Debris gathers along shoreline
Savona gets the debris as it gathers in the small alcoves and the shoreline when the water recedes.  I am sure some of what we saw were accumulated over several seasons but it is amazing the amount that flows down the lake.

No marmots to be seen
McArthur Park has no damage seen by the high waters other than there being no little marmots out looking for treats.  Their homes are hollows in the riverbanks so have been filled with water causing them to move on, but they seem to come back every year.  

MacPark Slough
The Slough fills up high, making it much prettier than with low summer waters but again, it disrupts the local lives of geese and ducks who make their homes in these waters.  A deer and her fawn were at home just below this spot last summer when we visited.  They couldn’t be doing that now.

Momma Duck and her ducklings
As we were driving out of the park, this Momma Duck and her babies were crossing the road so we stopped to watch the parade.  All went well until they got to the curb and the little ones just could not jump up that high. We watched for a few minutes yet Momma was just standing there waiting, no attempt to help.

Wonderful helper
A kind lady went over and gently helped those little ones up over the curb while Momma just stood and watched, without making any squawks or sounds of objection!  Within moments they were all together again and on their way.

Happy family continues

What a nice way to end our sightseeing day.