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Dominion Research Station once drew water from Okanagan Lake

In 1930s, facility in Summerland used lake water to have a guaranteed supply
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To guarantee water supply in 1933, Summerland’s Dominion Research Station (now Summerland Research and Development Centre) installed its own Okanagan Lake pumping station. Today, all communities on Okanagan Lake use lake water to supplement their water systems, except the District of Summerland. (Photo courtesy Summerland Museum)

While Summerland has used Okanagan Lake primarily for recreation and transportation, water from the lake has also been used to supplement water systems.

To guarantee its water supply, the Dominion Research Station (now the Summerland Research and Development Centre) installed its own Okanagan Lake pumping station in 1933.

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Today, all communities along Okanagan Lake, except Summerland, use water from the lake to supplement their water systems.

Summerland’s water supply comes from a series of lakes to the west of the community.

The community has a total water capacity of 14,348 million litres. Thirsk Lake alone has a capacity of 6,474 million litres.

During the peak of the irrigation season, Summerland’s water capacity can reach 140 million litres a day.

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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