Drought conditions persist, raising concerns for next summer  

Recent rainy, cooler weather has not done much to offset drought conditions in the Okanagan.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre said Thursday that the Okanagan had a High Water Scarcity Level and was remained up at Drought Level 3.

The Okanagan and the basins bordering the local region were the only places in B.C. with ratings that high as of the last report of the season from the agency.

The River Forecast Centre said the recent precipitation was welcome and led to some modest recoveries, but also stated “Okanagan and Kalamalka Lakes remain at record low water levels,” that “many Okanagan tributaries continue to approach or remain below critical flow thresholds,” posing a risk to salmon spawning in the area, and that “groundwater levels remain at record lows or are lower levels than this time last year in many areas” across the Southern Interior.