Bathymetry Mapping for U.S. Osoyoos Lake

This project complements an existing project conducted by the Okanagan Basin Watershed Board (OBWB) to collect near-shore bathymetry data over the Canadian portion of Osoyoos Lake, upstream connecting water bodies, and Okanagan Lake. This project extends the OBWB’s work area to include the U.S. portion of Osoyoos Lake, at a considerable cost savings, by coordinating data collection with the ongoing Canadian project. Collecting near-shore bathymetry for the US portion of Osoyoos Lake and the downstream connecting water bodies also allows for a unified bathymetry data set for the Osoyoos-Okanogan watershed that is of great interest and benefit to both countries and the entire basin. The LiDAR topo-bathymetry will target the near-shore areas to a depth of 10 m (33 ft), or deeper, depending on water clarity. As the U.S. portion of Osoyoos Lake is relatively shallow, this includes most of the depth of the lake. This project will use the latest sensory technology to provide high-quality data to create digital maps of the nearshore bathymetry that will assist local communities, local water managers, and federal regulators by improving their flood maps and GIS systems, improve hydrodynamic modelling, infrastructure planning, and risk mitigation.