The City of Kamloops will be reopening boat launches tomorrow, July 15, after a five-week long closure due to the risk of flooding.

Utility Services Manager Greg Wightman tells NL News it comes as water levels on the Thompson River near the Overlanders Bridge are dropping about five centimetres a day.

“It is not the typical recession that we see where it is a relatively sharp drop after the rivers peak, this has been very very slow but we are the point of being able to rescind some of the temporary measures that we put in place,” he said.

“Probably the most impactful one for the public is the reopening of the boat launches. We will be able to have people back out on the rivers again for the weekend, enjoying the weather and the water.”

Closing the boat launches is never a popular move, but Wightman noted it helps limit the wakes when the rivers levels are high.

“Every year when we close them, we do get the calls but this year [especially] with it being so late,” he said. “I mean we are in the middle of July here and we still have boat launches closed, that is almost unheard of.”

“I understand the frustration and definitely appreciate everyone’s patience here but it is a move that we take for safety and at this point, we are able to open the boat launches again because we are able to get up and down the river again with our rescue boat.”

Wightman says crews will also be removing flood-protection bags that are covering catch basins in low-lying areas of the city. Sand and sandbags that was made available for residents will also be removed.

“People who put up sandbags can take it to either Mission Flats or the Barnhartvale landfills free of charge,” Wightman said. “You’ll need to separate sand from the bags before you dispose of it.”

If you’re on the river, Wightman is asking people to be careful as the rivers are still unseasonably high with a large amount of debris still present. They’re also being told to minimize wakes to avoid erosion of riverbanks.