Kalamalka Lake Beach (photo credit: Vernon Matters)

By Kevin Rothwell

Don't want it to be a 'dump'

Future Kalamalka Lake access not a guarantee

Jun 18, 2021 | 5:00 AM

Heading for Kalamalka Lake to go boating, paddling or for a swim on a whim, may not be as easy in the future, as access and capacity limits are stretched..

Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick was asked during a Greater Vernon virtual town hall meeting Thursday what the municipality was doing to make sure people can get on the water when they want to.

“There is a long term plan to increase access. With our DCC’s (development cost charges), we have identified buying for lakefront land, so any new development in the district pays toward that,” Garlick stated.

He added they have opened up historic road ends for hand launching and converted the West Kal boat launch to non-motorized hand launched craft to accomodate the popularity of kayaking and paddle boarding.

“I think there will always be a limit to the access” Garlick said. “We do what we can. We fit it in and we look at a balance between what is there and what the capacity of that lake is. We don’t want it to become a dump.”

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Kalamalka Lake is one of the two main drinking water sources for the Greater Vernon area.

Garlick noted that the access situation is changing and not everyone will be accommodated on any given day.

“That is how most of the rest of the world works, we have just been very fortunate. I grew up here and never had to think that way, but seeing how the numbers are increasing, there will come a time where you will have to wait your turn,” Garlick concluded.