While Kamloops boat launches are back open, there’s no timeline yet for removing flood barriers along the riverbanks.

Utility services supervisor Joe Luison was asked about the barriers in place at Riverside Park and McArthur Island.

“The Hesco barriers will stay in place at the two parks in town currently. Just with the river levels, we haven’t seen a large enough decrease to deem it safe to pull those away, just because the rivers levels could come up with a large rain event. We will be looking next week at possibly opening up a small section of Riverside Park, just to allow a small section of that park to be open.”

He says that some of the baskets covering storm drains have now been removed.

“We’ve picked a safe elevation that we feel we won’t reach again. And crews are moving the ones that we can, just to create a little bit more room for traffic and the public. We will still leave the ones in place for some of the lower-lying areas.”

Luison says the parking lot behind the Sandman Centre could be reopened next week as well.

Meanwhile, he says it’s too soon to say if the beaches will be able to open in time for Canada Day.

“We are monitoring it as levels decrease, so it is something we’re looking at. But at this time there’s no plan to remove it for Canada Day.”