July 30, 2010 to August 1, 2010 By

Bernhard Kramer [August 31, 2010 - Final] Sicamous, BC [email protected]

http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com

Index

Introduction ...... 3 Study Objective ...... 4 Study Description and Methods ...... 5 Results and Discussion ...... 7 Section A: Sorrento / Blind Bay ...... 8 Conclusion ...... 14 Section B: Salmon Arm / Canoe ...... 15 Conclusion ...... 17 Section C: Sicamous / Mara Lake / Shuswap Lake ...... 19 Summary ...... 21 Zone C1: Sicamous North / Shuswap Lake ...... 23 Statistical Analysis: Traffic Density ...... 34 Statistical Analysis: Boaters and Lake Users ...... 37 Conclusion for Zone C1 ...... 39 Zone C2: Mara Lake ...... 40 Statistical Analysis: Traffic Density ...... 51 Statistical Analysis: Boaters and Lake Users ...... 53 Conclusion for Zone C2 ...... 54 Final Summary for Counting Section C ...... 55 Final Conclusions for the 2010 Lake Traffic Count ...... 62 Final Comment ...... 73 Public Comments and Complaints ...... 75 Acknowledgements ...... 77 Appendix I Mara Lake Data Tables ...... 78 Appendix II Shuswap Lake Data Tables ...... 81 Appendix III Salmon Arm Data Tables ...... 91 Appendix IV Sorrento Data Tables ...... 92 Appendix V Index of Charts ...... 94 Appendix VI Index of Tables ...... 95 Appendix VII Index of Maps ...... 96 Appendix VIII Index of Pictures and Illustrations ...... 97

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 2

Introduction

In recent years the Shuswap Lake has become an increasingly popular tourist destination for boaters and outdoor enthusiasts. Local businesses have reacted to the demand by creating various new recreational facilities and services along the shoreline, mainly in the Sorrento, Salmon Arm, and Sicamous area. Those facilities and services include hotels, motels, resorts, campgrounds, RV parks, boat rentals, moorage and marinas, marine services, restaurants, and many others - together with the necessary supporting industry. Tourism has become the leading industry for this region and a main employer for the local population. As part of this study a detailed inventory of all recreational facilities and services for the lake region is currently being created and should be completed early next year.

Many large development projects like condominium complexes and beach resorts, often with cottages and cabins directly on the shoreline, have been completed or are under construction. A main selling point is the unlimited and shared access to the lake as well as private boat slips for each unit. Developments are mainly concentrated on Mara Lake, the area between Sorrento and Anglemont, and near the Salmon Arm district.

Image 1: Residential Development on Mara Lake

Hundreds of private cabins are located along the Shuswap Lake shoreline and usually being occupied only during the summer months. Additional development projects are already approved, awaiting approval, or are in planning.

The rapid growth of tourism and the increasing recreational lake use doesn’t come without consequences. Noise pollution, disturbance of the fish habitat, shoreline erosion, water pollution, safety regulations, emergency response and policing, local infrastructure, sewage and water treatment, besides others, are valid reasons for concerns and need to be properly addressed, reviewed and/or adjusted.

Over the next two years this study will analyze and address all of those issues. Furthermore, this study will gradually extend towards the complete Shuswap Lake watershed by including the agricultural sector and its impact on environment and water quality of the Shuswap Lake. More information and details are available at http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 3

Study Objective

The Shuswap Lake Environmental Impact Study is a long-term project stretching over 2-3 years. During this time individual topics will be addressed and reported in sequence, closing with a comprehensive final report in the end.

This part of the study addresses the boat traffic on the Shuswap Lake. The original plan has been to record all traffic on the entire lake system, however, an adequate number of volunteers could not be motivated to participate in this task. A new attempt will be made during the long August weekend of 2011, using a large number of student volunteers and other helpers.

During the 2010 traffic count priority has been given to the Sicamous / Mara Lake area, Sorrento / Blind Bay, and the lake section between Salmon Arm and Canoe. Those areas have been chosen under the assumption of being potential traffic hotspots or may represent a diverse lake use by boaters.

The objective for each counting section has been defined as follows:

• Section A – Sorrento / Blind Bay / Copper Island  Expect local recreational lake use by boaters  Count and differentiate between boat types and observed activities within a given timeframe  Count boats and activities from shore and / or by boat

• Section B – Salmon Arm / Canoe  Expect mixed traffic and recreational activities  Occasionally count and differentiate between boat types and observed activities  Count boats from shoreline at Canoe (public beachfront)

• Section C – Sicamous / Mara Lake  Count boat traffic from shoreline Zone C1 – Sicamous Channel North / Shuswap Lake  Expect mostly moving traffic, some fishing in the morning  Record all passing traffic and differentiate between boat types  Record traffic in and out of the Sicamous Channel and the main lake arms  Occasionally count all boats in the visible range (traffic density count) Zone C2 – Sicamous Channel South / Mara Lake  Expect mixed traffic and recreational activities  Record all traffic in and out of the Sicamous Channel  Occasionally count all boats in the visible range (traffic density and activity count)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 4

Study Description and Methods

The following 3 counting locations have been established:

Section A: Sorrento / Blind Bay (Count of boats on the lake)

Section B: Salmon Arm / Canoe (Count of boats on the lake)

Section C: Sicamous (Moving traffic count on both sides of the Sicamous Channel)

Map 1: Boat Count Locations

Sections A and B have been counting the number of boats observed on the lake in irregular intervals. The result reflects the localized lake use in each individual section within a given timeframe. The Section A count has been done by boat and includes the area around Copper Island and Blind Bay. Section B was counting from the shoreline at Canoe.

Section C has been counting the moving boat traffic on both sides of the Sicamous Channel. On the south end of the Channel (Mara Lake side) boats have been recorded leaving and entering the Channel. At the north end of the Channel (Shuswap Lake side) the Shuswap Lake main arm, the Salmon Arm, and the Sicamous Channel merged into one counting area. The boat count recorded all boats leaving and entering the channel, leaving and entering the Shuswap Lake and Salmon Arm, and all traffic moving from one arm to the other. The Section C count was done from the south shoreline of the Shuswap Lake near the railroad bridge, partially using binoculars for distant traffic.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 5

The Section C count has been executed on July 30th, July 31st, and August 1st, from 08:00 am to 07:00 pm. New counting sheets have been used at the beginning of each hour. This approach has been chosen for the purpose of statistical traffic differentiation in hourly intervals.

Boats moving between Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake have only been counted sporadically. Therefore, the result does not reflect the complete traffic during all of the counting period.

Map 2: Section C Traffic Separation Map

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 6

Results and Discussion

The weekend from July 30 to August 01 has been chosen for the 2010 boat count. The August long weekend represents the peak of the tourist season with the highest impact on lake use, environmental pressure, and recreational activities.

During the recording period a total of 13,416 boats have been counted and classified by type and activity.

The majority of all boats have been recorded in the Sicamous area, accumulating to 12,474 boats at 3 counting locations and covering both sides of the Sicamous Channel. The lake activity and boat density count has been most significant in the Sorrento / Blind Bay area, where a total of 841 vessels have been recorded during a 3-day observation period.

Chart 1 below illustrates the result for each counting section on the lake.

Total Boat Count Activity and Density Count

333

Sicamous Traffic 408 Moving Traffic Count Shuswap Count 101 Mara Count 1683 Salmon Arm Count Sorrento Count 11733 841

Chart 1: Total Boat Count by Lake Sections

Each section will be analyzed individually, followed by a concluding summary for the complete lake system.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 7

Section A: Sorrento / Blind Bay

Section A is located near the west end of the north Shuswap Lake arm. The length of the north Shuswap Arm measures about 40 km, stretching from Cinnemousun Narrows in the east to Little Shuswap Lake in the west. Both sides of the shoreline are heavily populated, with an increasing population density pointing towards the Sorrento / Blind Bay area. The shoreline use is mainly residential with some commercial facilities aimed to serve the tourism. Especially on the north shore, the area offers only few public beaches suitable for recreational use. Some localized activities near the shoreline originates from the beachfront residency, however, this Shuswap Lake arm is mainly used by boat traffic from and to the Section A counting area.

Section A is defined as the area bordering Sorrento, Blind Bay, Copper Island, Shuswap Lake Park, and Scotch Creek, as illustrated in Map 3:

Sub-Section Scotch Creek / Copper Island

Sub-Section Shuswap Lake

Sub-Section Blind Bay

Map 3: Section A Recording Area

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 8

This area is a well-known popular hotspot for recreational activities and a frequent destination for many lake users. The rocky cliff-side of Copper Island attracts cliff jumpers and divers, while the wide open area is ideal for sailing, waterskiing, or just being part of the boating crowd.

The activity and boat density count in Section A has been completed during following time periods:

Date Time Location Covered Area 1. Friday 10:00 AM and From Shoreline at Visible area between Sorrento, Copper July 30, 2010 12::00 PM Sorrento Island, and north shore of Blind Bay 2. Sunday From 10:40 AM On Lake Complete Section A August 01, 2010 to 01:55 PM 3. Monday From 01:50 PM On Lake Complete Section A August 02, 2010 to 04:15 PM Table 1: Section A Counting Dates

Based on visibility limitations from shoreline the Friday count does only reflect a fraction of the actual traffic in this area.

During the 3-day counting period, a total of 841 boats have been recorded in Section A. The daily totals accumulate as follows:

Date Time From Time To Location Count 10:00 From Shore 11 30/07/2010 12:00 From Shore 25 Friday Total 36

10:40 11:20 Shuswap Lake Arm 60 11:20 12:20 Scotch Creek and Copper Island 93 01/08/2010 12:20 12:55 Blind Bay 95 12:55 13:55 Shuswap Lake Arm 140 Sunday Total 388

13:50 14:35 Shuswap Lake Arm 141 14:35 15:00 Scotch Creek and Copper Island 98 02/08/2010 15:00 15:25 Blind Bay 66 15:25 16:15 Shuswap Lake Arm 112 Monday Total 417 Table 2: Section A Counting Summary

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 9

Daily activities on the lake appear to peak in the timeframe between 11:00 AM and 04:00 PM. Therefore, it can be assumed that a significant part of those lake users are not just locally based, but arriving from as far away as Salmon Arm and Sicamous. The heavy northbound traffic and the evening return traffic in Sicamous seems to support this assumption. The 2011 traffic count is expected to provide the numerical basis for this argument.

Over 45.4% of all counted boats have been recreational motorboats moving through or inside Section A, followed by 14.4% of boats just drifting on the lake, and 11.4% of the traffic have been personal watercrafts (Sea-doo, etc.), which confirms the increasing popularity of personal watercrafts as noted throughout the whole lake system. Water tubing (pulling people in an air tube behind the motorboat) has been observed as the most popular activity in this section. 10.2% of the count has been enjoying this activity, compared to 4.6% of waterskiing or water boarding. Surprisingly, sitting in the boat on the lake doing nothing seems to be by far the most popular form of recreational entertainment today, at least for counting Section A.

Table 3 summarizes lake use and activities during the observation period.

Section A Lake Activity and Boat Classification Activity, Type 30-Jul 01-Aug 02-Aug Total Motorboats, Moving 16 190 176 382 Motorboats, Drifting 2 45 74 121 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 3 40 53 96 Water Tubing 3 39 44 86 Cabin Cruisers 3 17 24 44 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 5 21 13 39 Party Barges 2 19 16 37 Sailboats 0 10 8 18 Houseboats 1 4 3 8 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 1 2 5 8 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 0 1 1 2 Total 36 388 417 841 Table 3: Section A Lake Activity and Boat Types

The data from the individual counting days show a consistent and similar result for the most popular lake activities.

Assuming an average of 2 passengers per canoe and personal watercraft, 20 per houseboat, and 4 for each other boat type, the number of lake users in the Sorrento recording area easily calculates to a minimum of 3,296 people during the 3 day counting period.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 10

The tables below show the detailed result for each counting day, followed by the individual sub-section data.

Friday, July 30, 2010 Count 10:00 AM 12:00 PM Total Motorboats, Moving 4 12 16 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 2 3 5 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 3 3 Water Tubing 2 1 3 Cabin Cruisers 1 2 3 Motorboats, Drifting 2 2 Party Barges 2 2 Houseboats 1 1 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 1 1 Sailboats 0 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 0 Total 11 25 36 Table 4: Sorrento Count July 30

Sunday, August 01, 2010 Shuswap Scotch Creek and Shuswap Arm Copper Island Blind Bay Arm Count Total

10:40 AM 11:20 AM 12:20 PM 12:55PM Motorboats, Moving 31 43 49 67 190 Motorboats, Drifting 3 17 6 19 45 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 3 7 12 18 40 Water Tubing 7 6 13 13 39 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 8 6 5 2 21 Party Barges 3 3 4 9 19 Cabin Cruisers 1 7 5 4 17 Sailboats 2 1 1 6 10 Houseboats 1 3 4 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 1 1 2 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 1 1 Total 60 93 95 140 388 Table 5: Sorrento Count August 01

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 11

Monday, August 02, 2010 Shuswap Scotch Creek and Shuswap Arm Copper Island Blind Bay Arm Count Total

1:50 PM 02:35 PM 03:00 PM 3:25 PM Motorboats, Moving 66 32 25 53 176 Motorboats, Drifting 19 34 9 12 74 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 18 10 12 13 53 Water Tubing 11 6 13 14 44 Cabin Cruisers 10 5 1 8 24 Party Barges 3 3 3 7 16 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 7 2 3 1 13 Sailboats 3 3 2 8 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 1 2 2 5 Houseboats 3 3 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 1 1 Total 141 98 66 112 417 Table 6: Sorrento Count August 02

Sub-Section Result: Shuswap Lake Arm 30-Jul 01-Aug 02-Aug Activity, Type Total 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 11:40 AM 12:55 PM 1:50 PM 3:25 PM Motorboats, Moving 4 12 31 67 66 53 233 Motorboats, Drifting 2 3 19 19 12 55 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 3 3 18 18 13 55 Water Tubing 2 1 7 13 11 14 48 Cabin Cruisers 1 2 1 4 10 8 26 Party Barges 2 3 9 3 7 24 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 2 3 8 2 7 1 23 Sailboats 2 6 3 2 13 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 1 1 1 1 2 6 Houseboats 1 1 3 5 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 1 1 Total 11 25 60 140 141 112 489 Table 7: Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 12

Sub-Section Result: Scotch Creek and Copper Island 01-Aug 02-Aug Activity, Type Total 11:20 AM 2:35 PM Motorboats, Moving 43 32 75 Motorboats, Drifting 17 34 51 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 7 10 17 Water Tubing 6 6 12 Cabin Cruisers 7 5 12 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 6 2 8 Party Barges 3 3 6 Sailboats 1 3 4 Houseboats 3 3 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 2 2 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 1 1 Total 93 98 191 Table 8: Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm

Sub-Section Result: Blind Bay 01-Aug 02-Aug Activity, Type Total 12:20 PM 3:00 PM Motorboats, Moving 49 25 74 Water Tubing 13 13 26 Personal Watercrafts, Sea-Doo 12 12 24 Motorboats, Drifting 6 9 15 Water Boarding, Waterskiing 5 3 8 Party Barges 4 3 7 Cabin Cruisers 5 1 6 Sailboats 1 1 Houseboats 0 Open Boats, Fishing Boats 0 Man Powered Boats, Canoes 0 Total 95 66 161 Table 9: Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 13

Motorboats account for the majority of all traffic recorded in Section A. The most popular area for personal watercrafts have been the wide open Shuswap Lake arm and the sheltered Blind Bay, while the Copper Island area seems less popular for this kind of activity.

Sailboats have been noticed in all sub-sections, but clearly prefer the open space of the Shuswap Lake.

The Blind Bay sub-section appears to attract more family-oriented, localized traffic and activities. Drifting boats, usually an activity for younger groups, are less frequent in the bay. Moving motorboats and personal watercrafts have been generating the most traffic, while water tubing, a favourite activity for children, is significantly higher in the bay than on the open lake.

Conclusion:

Section A is clearly a popular destination for recreational lake users from all over the Shuswap Lake system. Based on the amount and kind of recorded activities it is safe to assume that the majority of all lake users in this area belong to the age group of younger people. Copper Island is widely known for its steep cliffs, ideal for rock jumping or just to watch those activities in groups.

Section A can be defined as a densely used area of fast moving boats, slow traffic, drifting vessels, and intensive water sport activities. This fact is giving the Sorrento area its distinct characteristics and therefore may be expected to remain an increasingly popular destination on the lake. However, that combination of activities within a relatively small area can frequently result in dangerous situations. As tourism is expected to increase, so is the risk of accidents, fatalities, and other severe incidents. Over time it may become inevitable to address this problem with new clear regulations and proper enforcement, which, on the downside, may result in a decrease of the recreational value in this area.

A temporary solution to defuse the high risk situation may lay in an approach of regulatory limiting or directing certain activities to specifically designated sections of that lake region, which could successfully separate the fast moving traffic from drifting boats and recreational water sport.

Having the Sorrento area identified as one of the major touristic hotspots within the Shuswap Lake system, the follow-up count of 2011 will be accompanied by a detailed study regarding the impact on environment and fish habitat. The nonexistence of proper sewage treatment facilities, high local population density, and the attractiveness for tourism seems to suggest that the Sorrento area may be a significant contributor for a potential environmental deterioration of the Shuswap Lake and beyond.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 14

Section B: Salmon Arm / Canoe

Section B covers the lake area from Canoe towards Salmon Arm.

The Salmon Arm is a 24 km long side arm of the Shuswap Lake system, stretching from Sicamous in the east to the city of Salmon Arm and Tappen in the west. With exception of the Salmon Arm / Canoe areas, both shorelines are just sporadically populated. Properties are usual residential - except some agricultural properties on the north shore close to Sicamous. Highway #1 closely follows the south shoreline until Canoe, leading into a densely populated residential area towards and into Salmon Arm.

The Salmon Arm Warf is the home base for some houseboats and other private and commercial watercrafts. Local lake activity is mostly concentrated within the triangle of Salmon Arm, Tappen, and Canoe. The remaining lake arm east of Canoe is mostly utilized for the transit to and from the main Shuswap Lake.

Map 4: Section B Recording Area

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 15

All boats in Section B have been counted from the shoreline at the Canoe public beach. Despite the narrow field of view into the area close to Canoe, some broad information could be gained through those traffic observations.

From July 30th to August 3rd a total of 8 counts have been completed. The detailed result is shown in Table 10 below.

30-Jul 31-Jul 01-Aug 02-Aug 03-Aug Date Total 7:20 AM 1:30 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 7:30 AM 7:30 AM 3:30 PM Houseboats 2 2 8 1 2 12 4 31 Waterskiing 1 2 4 2 1 19 29 Just Boating 1 2 10 2 2 1 5 23 Fishing Boat 1 2 3 2 4 12 Canoe 2 1 1 4 Water Tubing 2 2 Sea-Doo 0 Total 6 6 22 7 6 17 3 34 101 Table 10: Salmon Arm Count at Canoe

The result of the Salmon Arm count presents some interesting observations: • Houseboats account for nearly a third of the recorded traffic • Personal watercrafts have not been observed • Fishing boats account for nearly 12% of all recorded boats • More water-ski activities have been noted than regular recreational boat traffic • Houseboats are most frequently seen in the early morning and the late afternoon • Regular motorboat traffic is more dense in the early as well as the late afternoon • Water-skiers have been noted as the most active group in the afternoon

It is expected that the 2011 count will show similar, but exponentially higher numbers for the Salmon Arm and Tappen bay.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 16

2%

4% Salmon Arm 12% Count Result 30% Houseboats Waterskiing

Just Boating 23% Fishing Boat Canoe

Water Tubing 29% Chart 2: Boat Groups at Canoe

Conclusion:

The relatively small counting area near Canoe significantly reduces the statistical value for Section B. Additional control points will have to be added to the 2011 count to cover the bay area at Salmon Arm and Tappen.

Section B (Salmon Arm / Canoe) can be defined as an area with mixed lake use depending on the time of the day. Traffic towards and from the main Shuswap Lake is concentrated in the morning and late afternoon, while recreational activities seem to become more frequent in the early afternoon. Fishing activities are mostly concentrated in the early morning and early evening. Therefore, while busy at times, the Salmon Arm indicates a more balanced lake use during the day.

The most surprising aspect of the count is the quantity of houseboats compared to other activities and lake use. It is assumed that most of those vessels have been commuting between the main arms of the Shuswap Lake and the Salmon Arm Warf, since overnight beaching opportunities are very limited in this lake arm.

Fishing appears to be most popular towards the west end of the Salmon Arm as well.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 17

Less boat traffic implies a calmer water surface and therefore provides an ideal playground for water-skiing and similar activities. The trend towards water tubing, as observed at other sections of the lake, seems not as strong in this counting area. Waterskiing is usually a popular activity by local lake residents.

The result of the count in Section B allows the assumption that the Salmon Arm / Canoe area is mainly a recreational playground for local residents rather than a touristic destination. The count on the Shuswap side of this arm however indicates a high volume of boats coming in and out of the Salmon Arm early in the afternoon and late in the evening. This fact further confirms the statement that the regular boat traffic is shifting more into the main Shuswap Lake arms than using the Salmon Arm as destination for boating activities.

The Salmon River, while discharging its water into the lake near Salmon Arm, generates only a low water current towards the Shuswap Lake. Considering the fact that a large number of agricultural farms directly border the river shore, the potential for polluted water entering the lake near Salmon Arm may be significant. Additionally, the discharge outlet for the Salmon Arm sewage treatment plant near the river mouth and the relatively high number of observed houseboats in this area, potentially dumping greywater into the lake as well, the Salmon Arm lake seems to carry a very high potential for being one of the main contributors for the environmental pressure on the Shuswap Lake system. Furthermore, the low water flow out of this arm may lead to the concentration of contaminants near the Salmon Arm region, where a high population density is depending on the lake water for their consumption. Sudden unforeseen events can easily accumulate to a situation where, based on the dependency on lake water, the risk factor for the public health in this region may quickly escalate exponentially.

Therefore, the Shuswap Lake Environmental Impact Study will maintain its special focus on this region.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 18

Section C: Sicamous / Mara Lake / Shuswap Lake

Section C covers the lake area north and south of the Sicamous Channel.

The Sicamous Channel is one of two major bottlenecks connecting different lake arms of the Shuswap Lake. Mara Lake is located on the south side of the Channel, while the Channel in the north opens into the main Shuswap Lake arm. The Channel itself measures about 1.4 km in length and varies between 80 and 170 meters in width. Multiple dock structures on both sides of the shore reach deep into the Channel, therefore limiting the navigational width to between 40 and 80 meters. Located on the east shore of the Channel (Sicamous side) are 28 large dock structures, mostly for residential and commercial purpose. The west side counts 12 residential dock structures in total.

The Sicamous Channel is by far the most densely populated and most commercially used shoreline section of the Shuswap Lake system. While the west shore of the Channel is entirely residential, the east side shows a dense mix of multi-residential complexes and commercial facilities serving the tourism industry, foremost commercial marinas, houseboat companies, boat rentals, marine fuel and service stations, a restaurant, liquor store, and others. This shore side also contains 3 heavily used public boat launches. Located on the north end of the Channel is the Sicamous Public Beach Park with a clearly marked and protected public swim area. 2 bridges span over the north side of the Channel as well, the Trans-Canada Highway Bridge and the old CPR railroad swing bridge, which needs to open in order to allow the passage of houseboats most of the summer. The CPR Bridge clearance is 6.518 meters at a lake level of 346.0 meters (ASL), naturally varying with the changing lake level.

Section C has been chosen for the lake traffic count based on the assumption of being the most heavily used region of the Shuswap Lake system. The boat traffic inside the Channel was not counted directly, however, a counting station has been established on both the north and the south end of the Channel, therefore recording all traffic entering and exiting the Channel. This approach allows the statistical separation of traffic for each lake arm bordering the Channel while indicating the total traffic inside the Channel area.

The Section C data is based on the 3 day count from Friday, July 30th, to Sunday, August 2nd, within an uninterrupted time period from 08:00 am to 07:00 pm.

In the following discussion Section C is divided into strategic subsections, each linked to its individual traffic observations and counts. The maps below identify each of those subsections and its recording areas.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 19

Zone C1

Zone C2

Map 5: Section C Recording Area and Subsection Plan

Section C is divided into 2 major zones:

• Zone C1 describes the Shuswap Lake side of Sicamous (north), combining 2 statistical subsections • Zone C2 describes the Mara Lake side of Sicamous (south) with 3 data subsection

Following a short Section C summary each zone is addressed individually, separated by a detailed view for each included subsection.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 20

Section C Summary

During the counting period a total of 12,474 boats have been recorded within Section C.

The majority of traffic has been noted in Zone C1 north of Sicamous; however, the volume of traffic in and out of Mara Lake (Zone 2) was surprisingly high as well.

Subsection Location C1-T Shuswap Lake – Traffic Zone C1 C1-DA Shuswap Lake – Density C2-T Mara Lake - Traffic Zone C2 C2-DA1 Mara Lake – Density C2-DA2 Mara Lake / Buena Vista – Density Table 11: Section C Counting Zones and Subsections

Chart 3 below summarizes the result for each subsection during the boat count.

Section C Boat Count Density and Activity Count

Mara Traffic 333 Subsection C1-T 2,114 9,619 Subsection C2-T 741 Subsection C1-DA 180 Subsection C2-DA1 Shuswap Lake Subsection C2-DA2 Traffic 228

Chart 3: Section C Boat Count and Subsection Results

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 21

It shall be noted that the Zone C1 traffic in and out of the Sicamous Channel has been counted twice, once entering/leaving the Channel, and the second time either from where the boats came from or in which lake arm they continued to travel. This approach has been chosen in order to obtain some information indicating the traffic within other Shuswap Lake arms merging near Sicamous. The detailed discussion for the Zone C1 traffic will separate those numbers to reflect the true traffic for the Channel as well as for the merging lake arms.

The combined numbers of boats entering and leaving the Sicamous Channel on both sides accumulates as follows:

The traffic exiting the Channel Sicamous Channel Traffic has been slightly higher than

1,123 traffic entering the Channel. This 17% 2,113 Zone allows the assumption that the 31% public boat launches have been 991 C1 In 15% heavily used. Some boats may C1 Out also have returned after 7:00 pm, C2 In the end of the daily counting 2,473 C2 Out period. 37%

Chart 4: Sicamous Channel In/Out Traffic

The traffic in and out of the Sicamous Channel can be separated into specific boat types as outlined in Table 12 below. As expected, motorboats, which include speedboats and cabin cruisers, account for the majority of the traffic, followed by personal watercrafts and houseboats.

Sicamous

Channel Doo (PWC) Traffic - Houseboat Motor Boats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel Out 166 1,912 256 4 14 115 6 Zone C1 Channel In 136 1,621 226 7 22 96 5 Channel Out 103 814 200 6 Zone C2 Channel In 71 771 138 11 Table 12: Sicamous Channel Traffic by Boat Type

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 22

Section C – Zone C1 Sicamous North / Shuswap Lake

Zone C1 represents the visible area from the traffic count location near the Channel entrance of Sicamous. The field of view extended about 5 km to the west and 2 km to the north, therefore covering a total area of about 10 km2 in size. The main Shuswap Lake, the Salmon Arm, and the Sicamous Channel merge within this 5 km wide section of the lake. The dashed line in Map 6 below indicates the approximate borderline assumed during the count.

The lake near the east shoreline of the Sicamous bay is very shallow and impassable for boaters most of the year. The sandbank stretches about 300 metres to the west, divided by a narrow navigational strait extending the Sicamous Channel. On the north side of this passage are 2 navigation towers marking the borderline and the end of the shallow sandbank. This sandbank is a very popular destination for swimmers and children, as they are able to walk from the beach all the way out to the end of the sandbank.

Map 6: Section C – Zone C1 (Shuswap)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 23

The boat count in Zone C1 presents the most complex, detailed, and comprehensive data collection for the 2010 recording period and has been done in its entirety by the author of this report.

Map 7 below shows the daily traffic recorded in Zone C1. Most vessels exiting the Sicamous Channel have proceeded into Shuswap Lake or Salmon Arm, while few remained in the close vicinity of the Channel. Those have been foremost personal watercrafts (Sea-Doo) and some boats docking on residential properties at the south shore.

Based on the limited view as well as keeping the main focus on traffic near the Channel, the counted boats travelling directly between Shuswap Lake and Salmon Arm are far lower than the actual traffic. An additional checkpoint will be needed to record the full traffic during the next count.

Map 7: Section C – Zone C1 Daily Traffic Summary

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 24

During the 3-day counting period, a total of 9,619 vessels have been recorded moving through Zone C1.

Zone C1 by Day

Doo

Traffic Count - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 30/07/2010 244 2,198 344 4 26 134 10 2,960 31/07/2010 154 2,473 250 6 22 134 6 3,045 01/08/2010 210 2,833 375 12 24 154 6 3,614 Totals by Boat Type: 608 7,504 969 22 72 422 22 9,619 Table 13: Zone C1 Daily Traffic by Boat Type

Motorboats, personal watercrafts, and houseboats account for 94% of all traffic in 0% 1% Houseboat this zone. The remaining 6% combine canoes, fishing boats, 10% Motorboats pontoon boats (party barges), Sea-Doo 6% and commercial vessels (tug 5% Canoe 78% boats, large barges, milfoil 6% Fishing Boat harvester). Pontoon Boat 0% Commercial Chart 5: Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Boat Type

Pontoon boats (party barges) have become increasingly popular on the Shuswap Lake and transport large quantities of people to the distant beaches. It has also been noticed that those vessels returned to the Sicamous Channel more often than other boats to pick up new loads and, most frequently, return north to the Shuswap Lake main arm.

The following data table shows the daily traffic for all subsections of Zone C1, separated by boat types.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 25

Doo - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Boat Fishing Boat Pontoon Commercial

30/07/2010 75 620 94 4 36 2 Channel 31/07/2010 55 637 59 2 4 38 2 OUT 01/08/2010 36 655 103 2 6 41 2

30/07/2010 47 464 77 2 9 31 3 Channel 31/07/2010 21 515 65 1 7 29 1 IN 01/08/2010 68 642 84 4 6 36 1

30/07/2010 71 513 60 3 25 2 Into 31/07/2010 55 576 57 2 4 32 2 Shuswap Lake 01/08/2010 36 553 87 2 6 32 2

30/07/2010 35 346 49 2 5 20 1 From 31/07/2010 21 401 57 6 21 1 Shuswap Lake 01/08/2010 68 512 67 4 3 24 1

30/07/2010 4 107 34 1 11 Into 31/07/2010 61 2 6 Salmon Arm 01/08/2010 102 15 9

30/07/2010 12 118 28 4 11 2 From 31/07/2010 114 8 1 1 8 Salmon Arm 01/08/2010 130 17 3 12

30/07/2010 16 2 Shuswap Lake 31/07/2010 1 77 to Salmon Arm 01/08/2010 2 123 2

30/07/2010 14 Salmon Arm to 31/07/2010 1 92 2 Shuswap Lake 01/08/2010 116

Table 14: Zone C1 Daily Traffic for All Subsections

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 26

The accumulated traffic for each subsection during the counting period calculates as shown below:

Total Traffic For All Zone C1 Doo Subsections - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 166 1,912 256 4 14 115 6 Channel IN 136 1,621 226 7 22 96 5 Into ShuLake 162 1,642 204 4 13 89 6 From ShuLake 124 1,259 173 6 14 65 3 Into SA 4 270 51 0 1 26 0 From SA 12 362 53 1 8 31 2 ShuLake to SA 3 216 4 0 0 0 0 SA to ShuLake 1 222 2 0 0 0 0 Table 15: Zone C1 Total Traffic for All Subsections

Table 16 is categorizing the Zone C1 traffic during the 3-day counting period depending on the time of the day in hourly intervals.

Zone C1

Traffic

By wap Lake Time of Day Channel OUT Channel IN Into Shu s Out of Shuswap Lake Into Salmon Arm Out of Salmon Arm Shuswap Lake to Salmon Arm Salmon Arm to Shuswap Lake 8 am - 9 am 51 63 44 56 7 7 4 2 9 am - 10 am 90 92 72 76 18 16 8 7 10 am - 11 am 160 87 139 63 21 24 15 15 11 am - 12 pm 259 182 236 145 23 37 21 22 12 pm - 1 pm 328 191 281 143 46 48 34 27 1 pm - 2 pm 392 191 341 155 51 36 32 35 2 pm - 3 pm 374 216 322 161 52 55 14 22 3 pm - 4 pm 263 247 227 178 36 69 24 25 4 pm - 5 pm 250 268 217 211 33 57 29 38 5 pm - 6 pm 166 329 135 259 31 70 23 20 6 pm - 7 pm 140 247 106 197 34 50 19 12 Table 16: Zone C1 Total Traffic by Time of Day

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 27

The following chart visualizes the data from Table 16:

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Channel OUT Channel IN Into Shuswap Lake Out of Shuswap Lake Into Salmon Arm Out of Salmon Arm Shuswap Lake to Salmon Arm Salmon Arm to Shuswap Lake

Chart 6: Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day

It clearly demonstrates that the traffic towards the Shuswap Lake is most intense between 1 PM and 3 PM, while traffic towards Sicamous remains fairly low. After 3 PM the traffic is starting to reverse gradually, coming to a peak for the incoming Channel traffic between 5 PM and 6 PM.

The chart also outlines the most dangerous time for Zone C1 between 3 PM and 5 PM, as strong incoming and outgoing Channel traffic overlaps during this period, especially inside the Sicamous Channel and within the navigational narrows between the sandbanks.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 28

Looking at the different boat types during the hourly traffic, the numbers show even more significant tendencies about the lake use as well as risk factors based on the concentration of fast and slow moving boat traffic. Table 17 provides the raw data for this analysis.

Doo - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 8 am - 9 am 72 128 16 2 10 6 0 234 9 am - 10 am 60 232 47 2 20 12 6 379 10 am - 11 am 34 407 47 0 8 24 4 524 11 am - 12 pm 85 686 116 4 6 26 2 925 12 pm - 1 pm 60 855 115 4 14 48 2 1,098 1 pm - 2 pm 45 1,002 142 2 2 40 0 1,233 2 pm - 3 pm 67 967 114 0 0 66 2 1,216 3 pm - 4 pm 58 853 102 0 6 44 6 1,069 4 pm - 5 pm 57 858 118 4 4 62 0 1,103 5 pm - 6 pm 46 859 70 4 2 52 0 1,033 6 pm - 7 pm 24 657 82 0 0 42 0 805 Table 17: Zone C1 Boat Types by Time of Day

Pontoon boats (party barges) are most active in the early to late afternoon. Motorboats and speedboats have been most frequent between 1 PM and 3 PM, constituting the majority of all boat traffic within this timeframe.

Houseboats traffic is most dense during the early morning hours and remains fairly strong during all of the afternoon.

Personal watercrafts have been present all day and seem to join the motorboats in highest numbers during the busiest time of the day.

The following 2 charts provide a visual representation of the Table 17 data. Because of the high numerical variance between motorboats and other watercrafts, the motorboat group has been charted separately.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 29

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Houseboat Motorboats Sea-Doo Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial

Chart 7: Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day and Boat Type

Again, motorboats are the main contributor to the traffic on the lake, peaking between 1 PM and 2 PM.

Chart 8 uses the same data but ignoring the motorboat graph, therefore bringing the remaining boat groups better into the foreground.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 30

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Houseboat Sea-Doo Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial

Chart 8: Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day and Boat Type (Detail)

Personal watercrafts, like motorboats, have been most active between 1 PM and 2 PM. Houseboats and pontoon boats have been equally high represented between 2 PM and 3 PM. The data explains some observations regarding dangerous behaviour by boaters, typical to the compression of slow and fast traffic in close vicinity. More details are included at the end of this report.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 31

A count of all perceptible boats on the lake has been performed in irregular intervals for the purpose of gaining information about the traffic density and activities in a given area. Since each boat has been recorded while entering the counting area, this count is re-recording the same boats again as being in this area at a given moment of time, regardless where they came from or in which direction they were heading.

A total of 333 boats in 16 counts have been recorded in Subsection C1-DA as outlined in Map 5. Table 18 shows the details of all counts.

Date Time Houseboats Just Boating Sea-Doo Fishing Boat Total 30/07/2010 8:00 5 4 2 11 30/07/2010 9:00 7 5 1 3 16 30/07/2010 10:00 11 20 3 34 30/07/2010 11:00 6 12 1 19 30/07/2010 12:00 4 7 11 30/07/2010 13:00 1 9 2 12 30/07/2010 14:00 17 17 30/07/2010 15:00 11 37 48 30/07/2010 16:00 9 17 6 32 30/07/2010 17:00 6 24 7 37 30/07/2010 18:00 2 12 5 19

31/07/2010 8:00 8 2 3 13 31/07/2010 9:00 7 5 1 13 31/07/2010 10:00 4 7 6 17 31/07/2010 11:00 3 12 2 17

01/08/2010 8:00 9 3 5 17 Total 93 193 31 16 333

Table 18: Zone C1 Density and Activity Count

The highest density of boats in Subsection C1-DA has been observed on July 30th, 3 PM, where a total of 48 boats have been counted in the 10 km2 area. Even so it calculates to only 5 boats per km2, in reality the majority of boats have been concentrated along a narrow 3 km long line pointing towards Shuswap Lake - and fewer boats in the direct line towards Salmon Arm.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 32

The image on the front page of this report has been recorded during such a busy count. Another example for the high traffic density on the narrow line towards Shuswap Lake is shown in the picture below.

Image 2: Boat Density in Zone C1

Evidently it shows the danger on this narrow line, especially when fast moving boats navigate through slow moving traffic. The 3 boats in the foreground are in the process of speeding up, while the houseboat and the slowly moving motorboat seems obstacles for the traffic flow.

Situations like shown here have been observed on a constant basis during the 3 days boat count. It will be addressed in the final conclusion at the end of this report.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 33

Statistical Analysis: Traffic Density

Zone C1 is the starting point for many lake users and therefore one of the busiest sections of the Shuswap Lake system. Specifically the Sicamous Channel and the Sicamous bay to the north are narrow waterways, forming a dense bottleneck for the heavy boat traffic. With 3 public boat launches and all recreational service facilities located in the Sicamous Channel, the high traffic density is certainly unmatched by any other area of the Shuswap Lake system.

During the 3-day counting period (33 hours total) the number of boats just entering and leaving the Sicamous Channel into Zone C1 (north) has accumulated to a total of 4,586 boats, the south end of the Channel not included.

Based on those results the average number of boats per hour calculates to 139, or 2.3 boats per minute. In other words, on average every 26 seconds a boat has entered or exited the Sicamous Channel.

Considering the traffic density variations based on the time of day as shown in Table 16, the statistical traffic analysis calculates as follows for the Zone C1 Channel traffic:

Sicamous Avg. Boats Per Hour Avg. Boats Per Minute Avg. Seconds per Boat Channel In/Out 8 am - 9 am 114 1.9 32 9 am - 10 am 182 3.0 20 10 am - 11 am 247 4.1 15 11 am - 12 pm 441 7.4 8 12 pm - 1 pm 519 8.7 7 1 pm - 2 pm 583 9.7 6 2 pm - 3 pm 590 9.8 6 3 pm - 4 pm 510 8.5 7 4 pm - 5 pm 518 8.6 7 5 pm - 6 pm 495 8.3 7 6 pm - 7 pm 387 6.5 9 Table 19: Zone C1 Hourly Density Statistic Sicamous Channel

During the traffic density peak, on average every 6 seconds a boats has entered or exited the Sicamous Channel from or into Zone C1.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 34

For boats entering or exiting the Shuswap Lake and the Salmon Arm, the statistical analysis calculates as follows:

Shuswap Lake Salmon Arm Boats Per Boats Per Seconds per Boats Per Boats Per Seconds per Hour Minute Boat Hour Minute Boat 8 am - 9 am 100 1.7 36 14 0.2 257 9 am - 10 am 148 2.5 24 34 0.6 106 10 am - 11 am 202 3.4 18 45 0.8 80 11 am - 12 pm 381 6.4 9 60 1.0 60 12 pm - 1 pm 424 7.1 8 94 1.6 38 1 pm - 2 pm 496 8.3 7 87 1.5 41 2 pm - 3 pm 483 8.1 7 107 1.8 34 3 pm - 4 pm 405 6.8 9 105 1.8 34 4 pm - 5 pm 428 7.1 8 90 1.5 40 5 pm - 6 pm 394 6.6 9 101 1.7 36 6 pm - 7 pm 303 5.1 12 84 1.4 43 Table 20: Zone C1 Hourly Density Statistic Shuswap Lake and Salmon Arm

Table 20 identifies a significant lower traffic density for the Salmon Arm than for the Shuswap Lake. Only 2 boats per minute have been recorded between 2 PM and 3 PM on average for the Salmon Arm. In comparison, during the same time period every 7 seconds a boat entered or exited the Shuswap Lake, while showing the highest traffic density between 1 PM and 2 PM.

Overall, the traffic density in Zone C1 is lowest early in the morning and, beginning around 11 AM, traffic begins to gradually increase.

The afternoon hour traffic shows almost static levels with light variations and begins to declines starting at 6 PM.

Chart 9 below brings the hourly average data for the Sicamous Channel, Salmon Arm, and Shuswap Lake in comparison.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 35

Traffic Density Statistic

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Shuswap Lake Salmon Arm Sicamous Channel

Chart 9: Zone C1 Traffic Density Analysis and Comparison

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 36

Statistical Analysis: Boaters and Lake Users

The following analysis estimates the total number of people entering and exiting the • Sicamous Channel • Shuswap Lake main arm • Salmon Arm lake during the 3-day counting period, based on the amount of boats and people per boat type. The traffic crossing between Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake is being ignored in those calculations, as precise and complete numbers are not available.

For the calculations an average of people per boat type is assumed as follows:

Boat Type Avg. Person per Boat Houseboat 20 Motorboat (Speedboats, Cabin Cruisers) 4 Personal Watercraft (Sea-Doo) 2 Canoe 2 Fishing Boat 2 Pontoon Boat (Party Barges) 10 Commercial Boat 3 Table 21: Average People per Boat

The calculation is based on the amount of boats for each lake section as shown in Table 15 and below:

Doo - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Sicamous Channel 302 3,533 482 11 36 211 11 Shuswap Lake 286 2,901 377 10 27 154 9 Salmon Arm 16 632 104 1 9 57 2

Table 22: Boats Entering/Exiting Zone C1 Subsections

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 37

Based on the data above the amount of total lake users is calculated as follows:

Number of People per Boat Group

and Doo - Zone C1 Subsection Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Total

Sicamous Channel 6,040 14,132 964 22 72 2,110 33 23,373 Shuswap Lake 5,720 11,604 754 20 54 1,540 27 19,719 Salmon Arm 320 2,528 208 2 18 570 6 3,652 Table 23: Lake Users in Zone C1

The number of lake users entering and exiting the Sicamous Channel during the 3-day boat count can be calculated to 23,373 individuals. 19,719 lake users of those proceeded into or coming from the main Shuswap Lake arm. As expected, the number of lake users for the Salmon Arm is considerable smaller.

The environmental impact based on the number of lake users will be discussed at a later point of the Environmental Impact Study, following the comprehensive 2011 boat count on the lake. However, considering the rather large number of houseboat users and the greywater issue surrounding them, the environmental impact is certainly not without significance for the water quality on the Shuswap Lake.

The increasing amount of pontoon boats, also transporting large numbers of people to popular beaches, is a newly emerging factor adding to the environmental impact on beaches, water quality, and shorelines. Despite carrying large numbers of people, pontoon boats do not have any toilets or blackwater confinement tanks. It remains to assume that this group of lake users deposit large quantities of human waste on popular beaches - which finally is washed into the lake system during the peak of the spring runoff. The level of water pollution and contamination may well match that of houseboats already.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 38

Conclusion for Zone C1:

Zone C1 is defined as an area with an extremely high volume on boat traffic. The majority of the traffic originated in the Sicamous Channel and continued into the main Shuswap Lake arm towards north, resulting in a high return traffic in the evening. During the 33 hours of boat count in 3 days, on average one boat entered or exited the Sicamous Channel at the north end every 26 seconds.

Despite the wide and open lake area most of the traffic navigated on a narrow straight line between the end of the sandbank at Sicamous and each of the two main lake arms. Based on the mixture of slow, fast, and very fast traffic in this bottleneck, dangerous situations have been frequently observed. Additionally, personal watercrafts have been using the waves and rough water between the moving boats for their enjoyment.

By far the largest group of boats are motorboats, which include open speedboats and cabin cruisers. Motorboats account for 77% of the total of 4,586 boats passing through the Sicamous Channel, followed by 11% for personal watercrafts and 7% for houseboats.

A new trend appears to lean towards high-powered speedboats as shown in Image 3 below. Many of such boats have been observed speeding into the Shuswap Lake arm and back, often in close vicinity of the shoreline.

Image 3: High-powered Speedboats in Zone C1

It is being estimated that 90 to 95% of all motorboat drivers and passengers belong to the age group of 25 and younger. The same estimate can be made for personal watercrafts and pontoon boats.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 39

Section C – Zone C2 Sicamous South / Mara Lake

Zone C2 is defined as the lake area south of Sicamous, including the Sicamous Channel and Mara Lake.

With exception of the Little Shuswap Lake, Mara Lake is the smallest of all lake arms belonging to the Shuswap Lake system. Mara Lake is separated from the main Shuswap Lake by the Sicamous Channel to the north and stretches about 13 km to the south, where the mouth of the Shuswap River opens into the lake. The average width of Mara Lake varies between 1.6 km and 1.9 km, with an only 250 metres wide narrow section located about 7 km south of Sicamous (Six Mile Point).

The east shoreline of Mara Lake is bordered by Highway 97A. The most densely populated area stretches from Sicamous to the Six Mile Point area in the south. Along the west shoreline are only few residential properties, mostly concentrated within a distance of 3 km from Sicamous.

The Shuswap River is the largest water contributor feeding the Shuswap Lake system, accounting for about 42% of all water passing through all of the lakes during the yearly runoff. This creates a strong subsurface current, which intensifies within the narrow Sicamous Channel.

Most properties along the shoreline are residential. However, in recent years some large residential condominium complexes have been constructed south of Sicamous, significantly increasing the population density in this area. Some small residential properties have been converted into large commercial recreational facilities along the south- east shore, serving the trend of tourism in this region. The Mara Lake is also home of one of the largest houseboat companies of the Shuswap Lake, injecting around 80 houseboats into the residential neighbourhood.

Because of the recent development boom at Mara Lake the number of docks and boat slips has been largely increased during the past few years. What has been a quiet lake in the past, mostly defined by residential recreational activities, has become a frequently used lake by tourism and residents alike. This fact has led to an increasing number of complaints and frictions as well as a deterioration of the lake water.

The boat count for Zone C2 addresses the traffic factor and lake activities near the Sicamous channel. 3 individual counts on 2 counting locations as outlined in Table 11 have been completed during the 3-day counting period beginning on July 30th:

• Subsection C2-T (Traffic Count, Mara Lake and Sicamous Channel) • Subsection C2-DA1 (Density and Activity Count, North Mara Lake) • Subsection C2-DA2 (Density and Activity Count, Mara Lake / Buena Vista)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 40

The organizational subsections and their recording areas are indicated in Map 5.

The count in Zone C2 accumulates to a total of 2,522 boats between July 30th and August 2nd, starting from 08:00 AM until 7:00 PM.

2,114 of those boats have entered or exited the Sicamous Channel. The remaining 408 boats are the result of the boat density and activity count.

Buena Vista Density Count, Zone C2 Data Summary North Mara 228 Density Count, 180

Mara Lake / Channel Traffic, 2,114

Chart 10: Zone C2 Data Summary

The Mara Lake traffic count has been limited to the movements of boats entering and exiting the Sicamous Channel. Observations at the counting location indicated that most of the motorboat traffic continued to proceed towards the southern sections of the lake. The 2011 count will reflect the sectional traffic throughout the whole Mara Lake.

The majority of counted boats have been motorboats, which includes ski boats, speedboats, smaller fishing boats, and cabin cruisers as well. Cabin cruisers have rarely been observed on Mara Lake.

A summary of the boat traffic for the Mara Lake is shown in Table 24 below.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 41

Date Houseboat Motorboats Sea-Doo Canoe

Channel 30/07/2010 30 239 38 4 31/07/2010 26 244 52 3 IN 01/08/2010 15 288 48 4 Totals 71 771 138 11

Channel 30/07/2010 39 273 73 0 31/07/2010 9 262 63 2 OUT 01/08/2010 55 279 64 4 Totals 103 814 200 6

Mara Lake / Channel Traffic 174 1,585 338 17

Table 24: Zone C2Traffic Count Summary

Motorboats and personal watercrafts accounted for 91% of the traffic on Mara Lake, followed by houseboats and few canoes.

Mara Lake Traffic

338 16% 1585 529 75% 25%

174 8%

17 1%

Motorboats Sea-Doo Houseboat Canoe

Chart 11: Zone C2 Traffic by Boat Groups

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 42

Chart 11 shows a clear increase of houseboat traffic entering or exiting the Sicamous Channel at the Mara Lake side. During the 3-day counting period 103 Houseboats houseboats entered the Mara Lake from the Channel, while 71 houseboats have been leaving the Mara Lake. Channel This result confirms the postulation that the In Channel few beaches on Mara Lake have become an 71 increasingly popular destination for overnight Out 41% beaching by houseboats. 103 59%

Chart 12: Zone C2 Houseboat Traffic

Personal watercrafts have been observed as the second largest group to enter and exit the Mara Lake. Two major user groups have been noted for this boat category:

• Recreational users moving alone or in groups in irregular patterns all over the lake, often at high speed close to shoreline and most frequently crossing close behind the path of motorboats, apparently using the generated waves for acrobatic purposes • Secondary crafts for houseboat passengers mostly driving in wild circles around specific houseboats, few driving slowly alongside houseboats

Rental facilities for personal watercrafts are located in the Sicamous Channel as well as the 2-mile area on Mara Lake. The high volume of personal watercrafts on Mara Lake may also be a direct consequence of the increasing number of multi-unit condominium complexes on this lake.

The substantial volume of high-powered speedboats has been unexpected for Mara Lake and therefore has not been specifically counted. Adjustments in this regard will be made for the 2011 count. The calmer water surface of Mara Lake, a result of less dense boat traffic, allows speedboat users to explore the full speed potential of their vessel. In a follow-up field study to this boat count the observed speed range of those boats has been estimated around and above 150 km/h.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 43

The Zone C2 traffic count can be divided n hourly time intervals as shown in the data table below.

Time Period oats b

Doo - Houseboat Motor Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 8 am - 9 am 4 14 8 0 0 0 0 26 9 am - 10 am 14 66 6 0 0 0 0 86 10 am - 11 am 17 118 18 2 0 0 0 155 11 am - 12 pm 31 168 33 3 0 0 0 235 12 pm - 1 pm 19 270 37 2 0 0 0 328 1 pm - 2 pm 25 307 41 5 0 0 0 378 2 pm - 3 pm 16 252 41 2 0 0 0 311 3 pm - 4 pm 32 133 45 0 0 0 0 210 4 pm - 5 pm 12 122 49 1 0 0 0 184 5 pm - 6 pm 3 77 40 2 0 0 0 122 6 pm - 7 pm 1 58 20 0 0 0 0 79

Total 174 1,585 338 17 0 0 0 2,114 Table 25: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Summary

Similar to the total traffic in Mara Lake, Motorboat traffic shows a gradually increase towards the traffic peak between 1 PM to 2 PM, followed by the continuous decrease during the late afternoon hours. The traffic peak between 1 PM and 2 PM for the Mara Lake count is identical to that of Zone C1. This allows the assumption that most of the observed Zone C2 traffic during this time has passed through the Sicamous Channel, either proceeding north or arriving from the Shuswap Lake side.

Personal watercrafts have been continuously counted in high numbers between 1 PM and 6 PM, while the houseboat traffic seems most frequent between 11 AM and 4 PM.

The following 2 charts provide the graphical representation for the hourly traffic in Mara Lake.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 44

350 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic 300

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Chart 13: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic (All Boats)

60 Houseboat Sea-Doo Canoe Zone C2 Hourly Traffic 50

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Chart 14: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic (Except Motorboats)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 45

Table 26 separates the hourly traffic as shown above by boats entering the Sicamous Channel and boats proceeding into the Mara Lake.

Time Period oats b

Doo - Houseboat Motor Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 8 am - 9 am 4 4 6 0 0 0 0 14 9 am - 10 am 8 34 2 0 0 0 0 44 10 am - 11 am 10 59 6 0 0 0 0 75 11 am - 12 pm 7 81 10 2 0 0 0 100

12 pm - 1 pm 5 131 12 1 0 0 0 149 1 pm - 2 pm 9 162 20 4 0 0 0 195 2 pm - 3 pm 8 122 15 2 0 0 0 147 3 pm - 4 pm 15 61 23 0 0 0 0 99 Into Channel Into 4 pm - 5 pm 3 54 18 1 0 0 0 76 5 pm - 6 pm 2 34 16 1 0 0 0 53 6 pm - 7 pm 0 29 10 0 0 0 0 39 Total 71 771 138 11 0 0 0 991

8 am - 9 am 0 10 2 0 0 0 0 12 9 am - 10 am 6 32 4 0 0 0 0 42 10 am - 11 am 7 59 12 2 0 0 0 80

11 am - 12 pm 24 87 23 1 0 0 0 135 12 pm - 1 pm 14 139 25 1 0 0 0 179 1 pm - 2 pm 16 145 21 1 0 0 0 183 2 pm - 3 pm 8 130 26 0 0 0 0 164 3 pm - 4 pm 17 72 22 0 0 0 0 111

Into Mara Lake 4 pm - 5 pm 9 68 31 0 0 0 0 108 5 pm - 6 pm 1 43 24 1 0 0 0 69 6 pm - 7 pm 1 29 10 0 0 0 0 40 Total 103 814 200 6 0 0 0 1,123

Total 174 1,585 338 17 0 0 0 2,114 Table 26: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 46

The following 2 charts are based on Table 26, representing the traffic in and out of the Sicamous Channel. In order to maintain a better level of detail, Chart 15 is showing the hourly traffic for motorboats and Chart 16 represents all other boats.

180 Into Channel 160 Motorboats Into Mara Lake 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Chart 15: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details (Motorboats)

The motorboat traffic follows a similar trend during each time period for both directions. While the volume of traffic makes it impossible to track each individual boat, the overall trend however allows the assumption that some of those boats have entered Mara Lake for a quick trip and returned back into the Channel fairly soon after. This theory is based on observation made for a few memorable vessels, especially those loud and colourful speedboats as shown in Image 3 of this report.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 47

32 30 Channel In/Out (except Motorboats) 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Sicamous Channel IN Houseboat Sea-Doo Canoe

Sicamous Channel OUT Houseboat Sea-Doo Canoe

Chart 16: Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details (Except Motorboats)

Houseboat traffic into Mara Lake is highest in the hours before noon. As the following density count shows, they remain in the north Mara Lake for a few hours before entering the houseboat marina in the 2-mile area.

This chart clearly indicates that personal watercrafts, after entering the Mara Lake, appear to enjoy the activity for about one hour before returning back into the Sicamous Channel.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 48

An occasional count of all boats being observed in the visual range of the counting location has been done in order to gain some information about boat density and activities on the lake. Map 5 of this report identifies both visual counting areas as Subsection C2-DA1 (north Mara Lake near the Channel) and Subsection C2-DA2 (Buena Vista area). The result from those snapshots in time is shown in the tables below.

Mara Lake

Date Time Skiing

Doo - Houseboats Motorboats Water Water Tubing Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Total 30/07/2010 9:50 1 1 30/07/2010 10:15 2 2 30/07/2010 10:27 1 2 1 4 30/07/2010 10:46 3 2 3 8 30/07/2010 11:53 5 4 3 12 30/07/2010 12:21 9 8 1 5 23 30/07/2010 14:54 7 5 6 18 31/07/2010 10:00 4 1 5 31/07/2010 12:05 4 7 1 2 2 16 31/07/2010 12:45 3 5 3 2 2 1 16

01/08/2010 11:30 4 4 1 1 5 2 17 01/08/2010 12:15 10 7 3 1 3 1 25 01/08/2010 12:55 9 9 4 4 6 1 33

Total 61 52 15 12 35 5 0 180 Table 27 : Boat Density and Activity Count, Subsection C2-DA1

The data in Table 27 represent snapshots in time within a given area. In total, 180 boats in 13 counts have been recorded for Subsection C2-DA1.

Houseboats and motorboats have been observed in largest numbers, accumulating to 63% of all boats in this area. The most popular recreational lake use remains with personal watercrafts, followed by water-skiing and water tubing. Only few canoes have been observed near the shoreline. Fishing boats have been counted with motorboats, separate numbers are not available.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 49

Most lake activities have been concentrated in the early afternoon hours.

Chart 17 shows the lake activity data based on Table 27.

Mara Lake Activity Count

Sea-Doo 35 Water Skiing 19% 15 8% Motorboats 52 29% Other 32 18% Water Tubing 12 Houseboats 7% 61 34% Canoe 5 3%

Chart 17: Subsection C2-DA1 Activity Count

The Buena Vista count (Subsection C2-DA2) represents the lake use by most popular boat groups within a one hour timeframe.

Mara Lake / Buena Vista

Doo - Date Time Skiing -

Houseboats Motorboats Water Water Tubing PWC / Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Total

01/08/2010 13:30 - 14:30 24 172 32 228

Tota l 24 172 0 0 32 0 0 228 Table 28: Boat Density and Activity Count, Subsection C2-DA2

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 50

Statistical Analysis: Traffic Density

The statistical approach for the traffic density in Zone C2 (Mara Lake) has been duplicated from that of Zone C1 (Sicamous Channel north). Following the Mara Lake analysis the results will be integrated into the complete Sector C statistical analysis for the Sicamous Channel.

Based on the Mara Lake traffic count as outlined above, the following statistical averages can be calculated:

During the 3-day counting period (33 hours total) the number of boats just entering and leaving the Mara Lake in Zone C2 (south) has accumulated to a total of 2,114 boats.

Based on those results the average number of boats per hour calculates to 64, or 1.1 boats per minute. In other words, on average every 56 seconds a boat has entered or exited the Mara Lake.

The statistical result for each hourly time period is shown in Table 28 below.

Mara Lake In/Out Avg. Boats Per Hour Avg. Boats Per Minute Avg. Seconds per Boat 8 am - 9 am 26 0.4 138 9 am - 10 am 86 1.4 42 10 am - 11 am 155 2.6 23 11 am - 12 pm 235 3.9 15 12 pm - 1 pm 328 5.5 11 1 pm - 2 pm 378 6.3 10 2 pm - 3 pm 311 5.2 12 3 pm - 4 pm 210 3.5 17 4 pm - 5 pm 184 3.1 20 5 pm - 6 pm 122 2.0 30 6 pm - 7 pm 79 1.3 46 Table 29: Zone C2 Hourly Density Statistic (Mara Lake)

During the busiest traffic period (between 1 PM and 2 PM) on average every 10 seconds a boat entered or exited Mara Lake, compared to the 6 seconds for Zone C1 average for the Sicamous Channel.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 51

The linear traffic increase and decrease outside the 1 PM to 2 PM time period is clearly recognizable in Chart 18 below.

Traffic Density Statistic 400

350

300

250

200

Boats per Hour per Boats 150

100

50 Mara Lake / Sicamous Channel

0

Chart 18: Zone C2 Traffic Density Analysis

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 52

Statistical Analysis: Boaters and Lake Users

Calculations for lake users on Mara Lake are based on the same formula as for the Shuswap Lake. The following table shows the average number of people per boat, the total number of counted boats, and the estimated volume of lake users for each boat group.

Number of People

Doo per Boat Group - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Total Avg. People per Boat 20 4 2 2

Traffic Into Mara Lake 103 814 200 6 1,123 Traffic Into Sicamous Channel 71 771 138 11 991 Total Boats 174 1,585 338 17 2,114 People Into Mara Lake 2,060 3,256 400 12 5,728 People Into Sicamous Channel 1,420 3,084 276 22 4,802 Total People 3,480 6,340 676 34 10,530 Table 30: Lake Users in Zone C2

During the 3-day counting period the total number of boat users and passengers entering or exiting Mara Lake can be estimated to 10,530.

More people have entered Mara Lake (5,728) than proceeding into the Sicamous Channel (4,802). This estimate does not take pontoon boats into account and therefore must be considered on the low end of the estimate range.

With almost 320 lake users on average every hour in this small section of the lake, the environmental impact on Mara Lake is clearly reaching a level of significance. Greywater from 3,480 houseboat passengers directly being dumped into the lake is accumulating to considerable numbers for this 33 hour counting period alone. 1,923 motorboats and personal watercrafts, often very close to the shoreline, most likely causing permanent disturbances to the fish habitat and exaggerate beach erosion all along the shoreline.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 53

Conclusion for Zone C2:

The high traffic density in this relatively small counting section confirms north Mara Lake as one of the busiest and most densely used lake region of the Shuswap Lake watershed. With 18% of all traffic exiting or entering the Sicamous Channel, Mara Lake has become a popular destination for boaters and recreational lake users.

The north half of Mara Lake is also a region of dense residential properties along the shoreline. New multi-unit residential properties and the increasing number of touristic facilities like resorts and RV parks have significantly added to the traffic density on the lake. Noise disturbances, water pollution, and shoreline erosion are just few of the consequences facing Mara Lake and its beach residents. The increasing volume of high-powered speedboats and fast personal watercrafts are rapidly amplifying the problem.

Observed activities on Mara Lake indicate a mixture of recreational use, slow boats, and fast moving traffic. Waterskiing, water tubing, and canoe trips still remain high in this section. Personal watercrafts have been using the wake from those activities for their entertainment, often crossing close behind the boats to ensure the most beneficial effect. The irregular boating pattern of those two groups requires a high level of attention by other fast moving boaters, which, based on the observations during the counting period, seems not always the case. Some close encounters have been noted, which could have easily escalated into a tragic event. The number of complaints directed to this web site clearly emphasizes the dangerous situation. One local resident reported that he found it necessary to end his recreational lake activity out of fear for the safety of his children.

With more residential property projects in planning, the situation in Mara Lake is expected to worsen substantially. Hundreds of residential units will inject hundreds of additional boats and water toys into this small lake, therefore escalating the traffic and associated risks exponentially. With 961 boats entered and exited the Sicamous Channel in one hour on both ends during the busiest time period, it remains questionable how much boat traffic can be added to the Mara Lake side without generating serious traffic and safety problems in the Channel itself.

In the past years Mara Lake has been the preferred and safe playground for local residents and family activities. The lake count clearly demonstrates that this is not longer the case. Fun seeking boaters have joined the activities in large numbers. With increased traffic density the average speed of boats in this lake has also increased substantially. Shoreline residents begin to face the consequences through higher risks and a recreational devaluation for their residential property. The increasing commercial exploitation of Mara Lake is turning this family lake into a touristic hot zone and therefore eliminating an easily accessible and safe sidearm of the Shuswap Lake system.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 54

Final Summary for Counting Section C

The 2010 boat traffic count has identified Section C (Sicamous area) as the busiest and most dense region of the Shuswap Lake. In total, 6,700 boats have been counted entering and exiting the Sicamous Channel in 33 hours of recording, averaging the traffic volume to 203 boats per hour.

The total number of boats for each boat group, separated by counting section and travel direction, is summarized in Chart 19 below.

Section C Traffic Summary 2000

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000 Boat Count Boat 800

600

400

200

0 Sea-Doo Pontoon Houseboat Motorboats Canoe Fishing Boat Commercial (PWC) Boat C1 Channel Out 166 1,912 256 4 14 115 6 C1 Channel In 136 1,621 226 7 22 96 5 C2 Channel Out 103 814 200 6 C2 Channel In 71 771 138 11

Chart 19: Section C2 Traffic Summary

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 55

Combining the counting results from Zone C1 and C2 (traffic entering and exiting the Sicamous Channel) calculates as shown in Table 31.

Section C

Channel

Traffic Traffic Summary Section C Total Zone C1 Zone C2 Traffic Section C Into Channel Section C Out of Channel

Motorboats 5,118 3,533 69% 1,585 31% 2,392 47% 2,726 53% Sea-Doo (PWC) 820 482 59% 338 41% 364 44% 456 56% Houseboat 476 302 63% 174 37% 207 43% 269 57% Pontoon Boat 211 211 100% 0 0% 96 45% 115 55% Fishing Boat 36 36 100% 0 0% 22 61% 14 39% Canoe 28 11 39% 17 61% 18 64% 10 36% Commercial 11 11 100% 0 0% 5 45% 6 55% Table 31: Section C Channel Traffic Summary

This table shows a slightly higher traffic out of the Sicamous Channel, which leads to the assumption that returning traffic continued until later in the evening. The 2011 count will adjust the counting period to include those late returns.

Personal watercrafts are the second frequently observed vessels in Zone C1 as well as in Mara Lake. This clearly shows the growing popularity for this kind of water sport on the Shuswap Lake. Mostly occupied by 2 people, those watercrafts have demonstrated surprisingly high speeds, nearly comparable to that of ski boats.

Based on 6,700 boats recorded to enter or exit the Sicamous Channel, individual boat groups can be summarized as follows: Motorboats ...... 76.4% Personal Watercrafts ...... 12.2% Houseboats ...... 7.1% Pontoon Boats ...... 3.1% Fishing Boats ...... 0.5% Canoes ...... 0.4% Commercial Boats ...... 0.2%

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 56

The statistical data for the traffic density and hourly averages in Section C can be calculated as shown in Table 32 below.

During the 3-day counting period (33 hours total) the number of boats entering and leaving the Sicamous Channel has accumulated to a total of 6,700 boats.

Based on those results the average number of boats per hour calculates to 203, or 3.4 boats per minute. In other words, on average every 18 seconds a boat has entered or exited the Sicamous Channel.

Sicamous Channel In/Out Avg. Boats Per Hour Avg. Boats Per Minute Avg. Seconds per Boat 8 am - 9 am 140 2.3 26 9 am - 10 am 268 4.5 13 10 am - 11 am 402 6.7 9 11 am - 12 pm 676 11.3 5 12 pm - 1 pm 847 14.1 4 1 pm - 2 pm 961 16.0 4 2 pm - 3 pm 901 15.0 4 3 pm - 4 pm 720 12.0 5 4 pm - 5 pm 702 11.7 5 5 pm - 6 pm 617 10.3 6 6 pm - 7 pm 466 7.8 8 Table 32: Section C Hourly Density Statistic (Sicamous Channel)

The traffic density gradually intensified towards the peak in the time period between 1 PM and 2 PM, where 961 boats have been counted, calculating to an average of 16 boats per minute, or 1 boat every 4 seconds.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 57

Traffic Density Statistic 1,100

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

Boats per Hour per Boats 400

300

200

100 Section C / Sicamous Channel

0

Chart 20: Section C Traffic Density Analysis

The traffic before 1 PM has mostly been outgoing traffic from the Channel, while the time between 3 PM and 5 PM indicates a heavy return period.

This trend has been similar for both Zone C1 and C2, as indicated in the comparison Chart 21 below.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 58

Section C Traffic Density Comparison 1,100

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

Boats per Hour per Boats 400

300

200

100

0

Section C Zone C1 (Shuswap) Zone C2 (Mara)

Chart 21: Section C Traffic Density Comparison

Since boats passing through the Channel have not been recorded, a realistic statistical estimation for the total number of boaters and passengers within the Sicamous Channel is not possible.

However, it is safe to estimate that the total number of boaters and passengers using the Sicamous Channel during the 3 day counting period may be in the range of between 25,000 and 30,000.

This result is based on the calculation table below, which provides the numerical foundation for this estimate.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 59

Number of People

per Boat Group

Doo in Section C - Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Total

Avg. People Per Boat 20 4 2 2 2 10 3

Sicamous Boats 207 2,392 364 18 22 96 5 3,104 Channel IN People 4,140 9,568 728 36 44 960 15 15,491

Sicamous Boats 269 2,726 456 10 14 115 6 3,596 Channel OUT People 5,380 10,904 912 20 28 1,150 18 18,412

Boats 476 5,118 820 28 36 211 11 6,700 Total People 9,520 20,472 1,640 56 72 2,110 33 33,903 Table 33: Lake Users in Section C

The environmental impact by houseboats and pontoon boats remains subject for further study. However, using the totals from Table 33, the water use charts provided by Statistics Canada (as indicated in the Environmental Impact Study outline on http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com), and the assumption of 2 litres liquid waste per toilet use for heavy beer consumers (not verified yet...), some informational numbers have been generated for the 3 day counting period as follows: Houseboats: • 7,199,500 litres of lake water has been circulated through houseboats • 5,771,500 litres have been discharged into the lake as greywater • 1,438,000 litres of raw sewage has been collected in holding tanks (and pumped out in Sicamous) Pontoon Boats: • 21,100 litres of raw sewage has been directly deposited on beaches or into the lake water

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 60

Those numbers become more explanatory by utilizing the example of large shipping containers as uses by cargo trains.

Large standard shipping containers have the following dimensions:

• Length: 12.036 m • Width: 2.35 m • Height: 2.345 m • = Volume: 66.33 m3

(Note: 1 m3 equals 1,000 litres of liquids)

Using this example, the water circulated through houseboats would translate to a train pulling a total of 109 completely filled shipping containers every third day, 87 of those containing greywater, and 22 containers of human waste. During the tourist season, between 60 and 70 of those trains would be needed to carry to wastewater.

The human waste deposited on the beaches from pontoon boat passengers would add almost another half container of sewage to the train.

While those numbers can only provide some informational value at this point, the potential consequence and environmental impact is substantial. After all, the Shuswap Lake system is the Drinkwater reservoir for all communities and private properties along the shoreline.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 61

Final Conclusions for the 2010 Lake Traffic Count

The Shuswap Lake 2010 traffic count, despite the 3-day scaled-down version, has recorded a surprisingly high volume of boats on all counting locations. While heavy traffic especially in the Sicamous area has been expected, the numerical result brings local tourism into a new perspective.

Regular boating, riding personal watercrafts and water tubing has been confirmed as the most popular water sport. Water tubes have been observed in various sizes. The smaller tubes have mostly been used by 3-4 children, while bigger tubes with a capacity of 4-5 people seem more favoured by teenagers or young adults.

The majority of personal watercrafts originated from the Sicamous Channel and proceeded into the main Shuswap Lake arm. Mostly controlled by young adults, those watercrafts seem to follow the new trend as a fast and easily manoeuvrable device to carry 1 or 2 passengers across the lake. The speed often seems to match that of ski boats.

Large high-powered speedboats have become more frequent on the lake as well. Observations during the counting period showed that those boats are mostly used for short high-speed trips. Speedboats, returning back to Sicamous and starting a new trip shortly after, have been noted many times. Race like activities have also been observed on all 3 counting days.

An interesting aspect of the boat count has been the discovery that nearly all of the boaters and passengers, including houseboats users, are young people in the age group of around 25 and younger. The term “Party Crowd” has often come in mind, based on observed age and behaviour. Family vacationers seemed to constitute a distinct minority on the Shuswap Lake, as observations showed at the Sicamous north control point.

RCMP and other policing agencies have been present on the lake at all 3 counting days. Their presence in the north Sicamous bottleneck however has been very short, averaging no more than 30 minutes twice a day, before disappearing north into the Shuswap Lake or into the Channel. All boats floating in the observation area have been approached and checked. Those have been mostly fishing boats and small motorboats. Moving traffic has not been stopped or intercepted. In general, the policing agencies have been completely out-powered by the majority of lake users. Dangerous behaviour by boaters remained uncorrected, while the full policing force fell on the few small boats floating in the lake as easy prey.

Image 4 illustrates the power difference between policing agencies and other boaters. Most personal watercrafts and ski boats seem to have a clear speed advantage over the authorities, therefore turning this lake unchallenged into a wild and unregulated playground for fun seekers, show-offs, and party tourists.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 62

Image 4: Policing on the Lake

The narrow navigation line between the sandbanks north of the Sicamous Channel is unquestionably the most dangerous location on the Shuswap Lake, where excessive speed, irresponsible behaviour, and carelessness are being injected into the dense concentration of boat traffic.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 63

Map 8: Zone C1 Navigation Details

The navigation line between the public beach and the outer marker is about 300 metres in length and, depending on the surface level of the lake, between 40 and 60 metres wide.

Speeding inside this narrow navigation strip has been a frequent event. It is estimated that at least a quarter of all northbound boat traffic started to significantly accelerate after the first navigation tower, while more than half of the southbound traffic did not slow down before midway between the counting location and the bridge. Passengers of smaller boats have been seen getting catapulted into the air, after their boat was hit by 2-3 ft. waves from fast passing boats. Frequent high-pitched screams have been a clear indicator for such events.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 64

Image 5: Speeding Powerboat Inside the Navigation Line (Example 1)

Image 6: Speeding Powerboat Inside the Navigation Line (Example 2)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 65

Personal watercrafts demonstrated the most careless behaviour of all lake users – by far. Nearly all have been passing the navigation line between the sandbanks at high speed and used this area as a playground for their acrobatic performance before large audiences on the public beach. The most risky manoeuvres included the frequent crossing between fast moving boats and entering the sandbank area with high speed, even endangering the life of playing children on the sandbank. Details for those specific cases will be addressed on a later page of this report.

Image 7: Personal Watercraft Speeding in the Navigation Line

Image 8: Personal Watercraft Riding the Waves

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 66

Houseboats have often found confused while approaching the Channel area from the Shuswap Lake. On multiple occasions they have been seen entering the narrow navigation line despite the closed railroad bridge and, while waiting for the bridge opening, struggled to avoid the sandbanks and not to block access to the Sicamous Channel.

Image 9: Confused Houseboats (1)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 67

Image 10: Confused Houseboats (2)

Another risky behaviour by houseboats passengers is illustrated on the image below.

Image 11: Risky Houseboating

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 68

This specific behaviour has been observed during all 3 days of the boat count. Houseboats have been approaching the Channel with passengers balancing dangerously close to the edges. This behaviour seems specific to just one Houseboat Company. It has not been seen at all on boats from other companies. The just 5-6 inches wide area on the front of the upper deck provides no holding or balancing support. One wave can easily throw passengers overboard and trap them under the forwards moving boat, directly into the path of the rear prop. It remains to note that houseboats from this specific company do not have emergency engine cut-off switches (kill switch) installed, nor offer regular ignition switches on the upper helm to stop the boat or disengage the prop. In the event of a passenger falling overboard it must unavoidably result in an almost certain fatality.

Overloaded motorboats have also been frequently noted during the 3 day count. The picture below shows a total of 14 passengers in the boat, driver included.

Image 12: Overloaded Motorboats

Undocumented by pictures, the record of people per similar sized boat has been 21, noted twice in one day (exiting the Channel and returning hours later), while even once passing close and unchecked a floating RCMP boat.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 69

Dense mixed traffic of fast and slow moving boats in this narrow navigation line has been the cause of many close encounters and some loud verbal insults.

The most vulnerable group of boats have been canoes. Nearly all became uncontrollable trapped between the waves of passing motorboats. Occasional screaming noises clearly underlined the level of frustration.

The following 2 pictures show the mixed traffic of motorboats and canoes inside the navigation line.

Image 13: Canoes and Motorboats (1)

Image 14: Canoes and Motorboats (2)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 70

Race like behaviour between powerboats has also been observed on some occasions. The 2 specific boats as marked in the picture below have been identified as main challengers for such racing events. Both boats have been most frequently involved in such racing activities, either together or individually with other speedboats.

Image 15: Racing Powerboats

The most worrisome observation has been made on the afternoon of August 1st, lasting for a few hours at the north sandbank of the navigation line. A group of 5 people (including 3 children) has walked out on the sandbank to the location as marked on Map 8 above. While they remained there and played, an undefined number of motorboats and personal watercrafts, originating from the Channel, have been cutting with high speed into the sandbank to bypass the heavy traffic in the navigation line, therefore passing this group of people in dangerously close vicinity.

Image 16: People on Sandbank (1)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 71

Image 17: People on Sandbank (2)

Image 18: People on Sandbank (3)

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 72

Final Comment:

The dense concentration of slow and fast moving traffic within closely defined bottlenecks and popular lake sections creates an elevated level of danger to lake users, boaters, and boat passengers. The increasing volume of incidents all over the lake system is a direct consequence of growing tourism, faster and more powerful speedboats and personal watercrafts, the change from family-oriented tourism to party crowds, the lack of clear boating regulations, and the failure of continuous and proper enforcement.

Regulations and enforcement have not caught up with the changed tourism and the intensified lake use, especially at well-known hotspots as outlined by this research report. Increased residency around the lake system, foremost supported by multi-unit condominium complexes, amplifies the pressure on the lake, environmentally as well as in terms of public safety. The high-speed traffic has moved into areas previously preferably used for recreational family activities, like water tubing and waterskiing. Blind Bay is a vivid example for this trend. The increased popularity of personal watercrafts, nearly matching the speed of ski boats, is adding a new layer of safety concerns into this mix.

The area surrounding Copper Island is the most popular destination for boaters on the north Shuswap Lake. The boat count for this area clearly confirms this fact. This trend is expected to continue, accompanied by higher traffic density and safety risks. Speed limitations or designated areas for water sport activities may have to put in place to manage safety concerns in this region. It also may become necessary to review and update the boating regulations in regard of personal watercrafts. Comments addressed to www.shuswaplakewatch.com by local residents clearly focus on the issue of safety on the lake. Some residents in the Sorrento area and on Mara Lake have reported that they cannot use the lake without fear for the safety of their family and children. In most of those cases the complaint has been a consequence of high-speed traffic and irresponsible behaviour.

The boat count clearly demonstrates that Sicamous has become the main entry point for boating tourism on Shuswap Lake. With up to 16 boats on average entering or exiting the Sicamous Channel every minute during afternoon hours, the traffic density has reached extreme and dangerous levels. Based on very tight speed restrictions in the Channel, the constant convoy of boats remained fairly orderly in this tightly defined area. However, once the boats have passed the railroad bridge north of the Channel, all gloves are off. Rules seem not to exist – and equally so traffic control and enforcement. The fact that, despite numerous close encounters, no accidents have happened during the counting period is nothing less than a miracle. A widespread disrespect for the safety of other boaters and the absence of common sense and responsibility defines this area as the most dangerous place for boaters on the Shuswap Lake.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 73

Enforcement agencies are understaffed and out-powered, therefore incapable of maintaining order and safety on the lake. More presence is needed on the lake, especially at known hotspots and during late evenings. The party crowd characteristics of the tourism suggests considerate alcohol consumption on the lake, which, combined with high traffic density, is adding an additional layer of danger to the evening traffic.

The traffic count on Mara Lake uncovered the trend for an increased recreational popularity on this small residential lake. With almost half the traffic density of that at the north side of the Channel, the characteristics of this lake has changed substantially. Residential water sport activities on this small lake are confronted with heavy boat traffic and increased personal watercraft use. New large-scale residential properties along the shoreline adding additional boats and traffic to the lake, while tourist resorts attract new waves of visitors and boaters into this region. Commercial facilities like houseboat rentals significantly contribute to traffic congestion, noise disturbances, and pollution. Residential concerns and complaints are frequently reported to this web site, all of which are validated and confirmed by the results from this traffic count.

New development projects on Mara Lake need to be evaluated not only by the projected economic and ecological impact, but also on the consequences for traffic density and public safety. This traffic count provides the numerical reality for the current lake use and therefore offers the foundation for proper and responsible decision-making in the future.

The latest accident on the Shuswap Lake confirms many observations made in this report.

On the late evening of August 24, 2010, a high-powered ski boat, driven by a 16 years old teenager under the influence of alcohol, approached the Sicamous bay with high speed from Shuswap Lake towards the Channel. Instead of choosing the navigation line south of the marker, the driver crashed with full speed into the sandbank north of the navigation tower. In this accident 3 passengers have been injured. Two passengers suffered severe injuries and have been stationary submitted to the hospital, where they received treatment for numerous fractured bones, damaged organs, and other internal injuries.

All the best wishes for a quick and full recovery go out to each of those girls.

If this report can contribute to prevent just one such accident in the future, all the efforts put into this boat count has been worthwhile and time well spent.

Bernhard Kramer Founder / Webmaster http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 74

Public Comments and Complaints

In response to this proposed boat count, numerous comments and complaints have been submitted to the webmaster of www.shuswaplakewatch.com.

Some of those comments are repeated here.

August 17, 2010 – Mara Lake I would like to vigorously complain about the several very large very fast and incredibly noisy boats racing up and down Mara Lake. These boats are capable of 130 mph and anyone in their way would not have a hope of surviving. Our daughter, her 2yr old twins & her friend were rowing on the lake and were fearful for their lives. We talk about sharing the road...now let's share the lake and get these "big boats" out of Mara or at least under control. The horrific accident of a few weeks ago should be warning enough.

August 08, 2010 – Bastian Bay (Shuswap Lake) One of the many BIG boats left a "party" at a house near to us and woke us with the noise. There were many of these boats at the residence last night. One boat came in at 9 P.M. very close to shore, just missing our boat on a buoy, and traveling too fast. They would not have been able to see me if I had been out swimming. The one boat is named "[Name on File]" and another is lime green. There were 5 or more boats here off and on all weekend.

August 13, 2010 – North Shuswap Lake I have a neighbour with a dock which has been breaking up for the past 6 years. The entire beach along our area is covered with Styrofoam pellets and chunks. I know that some provinces ban Styrofoam docks and when my Grandkids begin to think that that is what beaches are made up of it gets unacceptable. I complain every year to the owner and get no results. I suggest you include the dangers to fish, bird life, and turtles from these pellets in your environmental studies.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 75

June 21, 2010 – Blind Bay While walking along Blind Bay between Centennial Drive and 2647 Blind Bay, there are three wooden docks, un-kept and partially apart, just waiting for the next wind storm to blow a section onto one of our boats that is moored at our dock. At one of these docks, there is a boat that is aground and a boat that has sunk and has been there all winter. We have no idea who put them in as they are not being attended to. On the end of Centennial Drive at the boat launch there is a houseboat aground both interfering with the boat launch and whatever else. In the bay there is a hidden buoy someone has put in the water, alongside another boat that we do not know who owns, With summer coming either a boat, water-skier, etc, will hit it.

June 18, 2010 – Sunnybrae A new wharf along with 2 buoys appeared near Sunnybrae public beach without going through the application process.

August 12, 2010 – Mara Lake We have a problem with houseboats in front of our resort. They sit in close proximity to our resort while waiting to dock at Waterways. We have all sorts of garbage and waste float onto our dock from these boats. We have on several occasions had boats float very close to our swim area where children are swimming. On Sunday at 2:00 one of Waterways houseboats floated right through our swim area and up onto the neighbours beach. There were many children in the water at the time and some had to swim to get out of the way of the boat. The morons in charge of the boat were sitting on the back of the boat with no clue of what was going on around them. Waterway had to send a boat over to pull the houseboat off of the beach.

Many more comments are on file, foremost addressing environmental issues. They will be included in subsequent appropriate reports.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 76

Acknowledgements

The Shuswap Lake Environmental Impact Study is a privately funded project demanding a substantial investment of time, effort, and volunteer support. The public response for this project has been enormous, extremely positive, and widely supportive. Shuswaplakewatch.com thanks all web site visitors for their motivating support and encouragement during the past months. Your comments, suggestions, and offered expertise are most appreciated.

The Shuswap Lake boat count marked the beginning of this long-term project. Despite initial setbacks, finding sufficient numbers of volunteers to cover the complete lake system, the 3 day traffic count, a first of its kind done on this lake, has been completed successfully. Many interesting and important information have been collected, which will build the foundation for the detailed and comprehensive boat count of 2011.

This boat count could not have succeeded without the highly motivated support from many volunteers. Our special thanks goes to • Peter & Cherrie Kramer, Deborah Merolla, and Dennis Allen for the Mara Lake count • John Morgan for the Salmon Arm / Canoe count • Howard Cowan for the Sorrento / Blind Bay count Your efforts and sacrifice for this project is much appreciated and will not be forgotten.

We are also very thankful for the information exchange, support, and cooperation by many government agencies and public services, including but not limited to

• Environment Canada • Ministry for Transportation Canada • BC Ministry for Environment • Conservations Officer • Fisheries and Oceans Canada • PC Parks • BC Ministry of Fisheries • Canadian Hydrographic Service • Water Survey of Canada • Statistics Canada • Ministry of Forest • RCMP • CSRD (Columbia Shuswap • SLIPP (Shuswap Lake Integrated Regional District) Planning Process) as well as many local environmental groups and organizations and all other individuals not specifically included here.

Special thanks goes to Gabrielle Matscha (Ministry of Environment) and Marcin Pachcinsky (CSRD) for their outstanding support and information exchange, as well as to Bob Eadie (Friends of Mara group) for sharing contacts and information. Still, lots of work has to be done to complete this project. Please continue your support, comments, and suggestions. All progress will be published on http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com.

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 77

Appendix I Mara Lake Data Tables

Date Time

Doo - Direction Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 30/07/2010 8 am - 9 am Channel 0 30/07/2010 8 am - 9 am Mara Lake 0 30/07/2010 9 am - 10 am Channel 4 9 13 30/07/2010 9 am - 10 am Mara Lake 2 12 14 30/07/2010 10 am - 11 am Channel 7 22 29 30/07/2010 10 am - 11 am Mara Lake 4 25 3 32 30/07/2010 11 am - 12 pm Channel 1 39 6 46 30/07/2010 11 am - 12 pm Mara Lake 12 42 11 65 30/07/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Channel 2 39 3 44 30/07/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Mara Lake 3 46 8 57 30/07/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Channel 3 47 3 2 55 30/07/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Mara Lake 4 35 10 49 30/07/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Channel 4 38 2 2 46 30/07/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Mara Lake 2 48 7 57 30/07/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Channel 6 17 7 30 30/07/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Mara Lake 6 26 5 37 30/07/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Channel 3 15 6 24 30/07/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Mara Lake 5 22 16 43 30/07/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Channel 7 6 13 30/07/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Mara Lake 1 9 5 15 30/07/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Channel 6 5 11 30/07/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Mara Lake 8 8 16

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 78

Date Time

Doo - Direction Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 31/07/2010 8 am - 9 am Channel 4 2 5 11 31/07/2010 8 am - 9 am Mara Lake 6 6 31/07/2010 9 am - 10 am Channel 4 11 15 31/07/2010 9 am - 10 am Mara Lake 9 1 10 31/07/2010 10 am - 11 am Channel 3 16 4 23 31/07/2010 10 am - 11 am Mara Lake 14 2 16 31/07/2010 11 am - 12 pm Channel 5 20 25 31/07/2010 11 am - 12 pm Mara Lake 2 21 4 1 28 31/07/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Channel 43 6 1 50 31/07/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Mara Lake 1 35 5 41 31/07/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Channel 3 51 8 62 31/07/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Mara Lake 3 41 7 51 31/07/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Channel 4 38 9 51 31/07/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Mara Lake 1 46 13 60 31/07/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Channel 2 21 7 30 31/07/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Mara Lake 29 8 37 31/07/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Channel 17 6 1 24 31/07/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Mara Lake 1 28 11 40 31/07/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Channel 1 14 5 1 21 31/07/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Mara Lake 19 11 1 31 31/07/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Channel 11 2 13 31/07/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Mara Lake 1 14 1 16

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 79

Date Time

Doo - Direction Houseboat Motorboats Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Totals 01/08/2010 8 am - 9 am Channel 2 1 3 01/08/2010 8 am - 9 am Mara Lake 4 2 6 01/08/2010 9 am - 10 am Channel 14 2 16 01/08/2010 9 am - 10 am Mara Lake 4 11 3 18 01/08/2010 10 am - 11 am Channel 21 2 23 01/08/2010 10 am - 11 am Mara Lake 3 20 7 2 32 01/08/2010 11 am - 12 pm Channel 1 22 4 2 29 01/08/2010 11 am - 12 pm Mara Lake 10 24 8 42 01/08/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Channel 3 49 3 55 01/08/2010 12 pm - 1 pm Mara Lake 10 58 12 1 81 01/08/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Channel 3 64 9 2 78 01/08/2010 1 pm - 2 pm Mara Lake 9 69 4 1 83 01/08/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Channel 46 4 50 01/08/2010 2 pm - 3 pm Mara Lake 5 36 6 47 01/08/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Channel 7 23 9 39 01/08/2010 3 pm - 4 pm Mara Lake 11 17 9 37 01/08/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Channel 22 6 28 01/08/2010 4 pm - 5 pm Mara Lake 3 18 4 25 01/08/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Channel 1 13 5 19 01/08/2010 5 pm - 6 pm Mara Lake 15 8 23 01/08/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Channel 12 3 15 01/08/2010 6 pm - 7 pm Mara Lake 7 1 8

Totals: 174 1585 338 17 0 0 0 2114

Friday 30/07/2010 69 512 111 4 0 0 0 696 Saturday 31/07/2010 35 506 115 5 0 0 0 661 Sunday 01/08/2010 70 567 112 8 0 0 0 757

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 80

Appendix II Shuswap Lake Data Tables

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 3 11 2 1 Into Shuswap Lake 3 11 1 1

Into Salmon Arm 1

9 am Channel IN 4 5 1 From Shuswap Lake 3 4 1

8 am - From Salmon Arm 1 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake ShuLake -> SalmArm Channel OUT 5 21 2 1 1

Into Shuswap Lake 3 16 1 1 1 Into Salmon Arm 2 5 1 Channel IN 3 15 7 1 3 1 1 10 am From Shuswap Lake 2 14 4 1 2 1

9 am - From Salmon Arm 1 1 3 1 1

July30, 2010 SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm Channel OUT 7 48 11 3 1 Into Shuswap Lake 7 42 8 3 1

Into Salmon Arm 6 3

11 am Channel IN 4 11 2 1 3 From Shuswap Lake 2 9 1 1 2 From Salmon Arm 2 2 1 1 - - 10 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm 2

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 81

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 4 58 7 1 3 Into Shuswap Lake 3 48 5 1 2

Into Salmon Arm 1 10 2 1

12 pm Channel IN 18 41 6 2 2 From Shuswap Lake 12 30 5 1 2 From Salmon Arm 6 11 1 1 - - 11 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 3 ShuLake -> SalmArm 3 Channel OUT 5 69 9 3 Into Shuswap Lake 4 55 6 3 Into Salmon Arm 1 14 3

1 pm Channel IN 6 47 3 1 3 2 From Shuswap Lake 5 33 2 1 1 1

From Salmon Arm 1 14 1 2 1 - - 12 pm SalmArm -> ShuLake 2 ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 Channel OUT 2 88 14 2 Into Shuswap Lake 2 76 9 2

July30, 2010 Into Salmon Arm 12 5

2 pm Channel IN 5 39 14 From Shuswap Lake 4 28 9

1 pm - From Salmon Arm 1 11 5 SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm 7 Channel OUT 11 99 17 11 Into Shuswap Lake 11 78 9 8

Into Salmon Arm 21 8 3

3 pm Channel IN 1 51 7 2 1 From Shuswap Lake 1 37 4 1

2 pm - From Salmon Arm 14 3 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 82

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 12 79 12 3 Into Shuswap Lake 12 67 8

Into Salmon Arm 12 4 3

4 pm Channel IN 1 44 5 2 1 From Shuswap Lake 1 25 2 1

3 pm - From Salmon Arm 19 3 1 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 Channel OUT 11 62 9 4 Into Shuswap Lake 11 53 6 3

Into Salmon Arm 9 3 1

5 pm Channel IN 3 53 14 8 From Shuswap Lake 3 39 10 3

4 pm - From Salmon Arm 14 4 5 SalmArm -> ShuLake 3 ShuLake -> SalmArm 2 Channel OUT 12 44 7 3 2010 30, Into Shuswap Lake 12 32 4 1

July July Into Salmon Arm 12 3 2

6 pm Channel IN 1 94 9 8 From Shuswap Lake 1 75 5 7

5 pm - From Salmon Arm 19 4 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 2 ShuLake -> SalmArm 2 Channel OUT 3 41 6 3 Into Shuswap Lake 3 35 4 2

Into Salmon Arm 6 2 1

7 pm Channel IN 1 64 9 3 From Shuswap Lake 1 52 6 3

6 pm - From Salmon Arm 12 3 SalmArm -> ShuLake ShuLake -> SalmArm

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 83

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 7 14 2 1 Into Shuswap Lake 7 12 2

Into Salmon Arm 2 1

9 am Channel IN 9 13 3 1 2 From Shuswap Lake 9 11 3 2

8 am - From Salmon Arm 2 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 2 ShuLake -> SalmArm 3 Channel OUT 5 22 5 1 2 1

Into Shuswap Lake 5 17 5 1 1 1 Into Salmon Arm 5 1 Channel IN 3 22 3 3 2 10 am From Shuswap Lake 3 21 2 2 1

9 am - From Salmon Arm 1 1 1 1

July31, 2010 SalmArm -> ShuLake 4 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm 6 Channel OUT 3 40 1 1 Into Shuswap Lake 3 33 1 1

Into Salmon Arm 7

11 am Channel IN 35 2 1 From Shuswap Lake 25 1 1 From Salmon Arm 10 1 - - 10 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 5 1 ShuLake -> SalmArm 1

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 84

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 5 64 7 3 Into Shuswap Lake 5 59 7 3

Into Salmon Arm 5

12 pm Channel IN 3 44 5 From Shuswap Lake 3 37 5 From Salmon Arm 7 - - 11 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 6 ShuLake -> SalmArm 6 Channel OUT 5 96 8 3 5 Into Shuswap Lake 5 89 8 3 4 Into Salmon Arm 7 1

1 pm Channel IN 3 48 2 3 From Shuswap Lake 3 32 2 3

From Salmon Arm 16 - - 12 pm SalmArm -> ShuLake 14 ShuLake -> SalmArm 12 Channel OUT 5 112 12 6 Into Shuswap Lake 5 101 11 5

July31, 2010 Into Salmon Arm 11 1 1 pm

2 Channel IN 1 31 10 From Shuswap Lake 1 25 9

1 pm - From Salmon Arm 6 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 17 ShuLake -> SalmArm 6 Channel OUT 8 91 7 9 Into Shuswap Lake 8 86 6 7

Into Salmon Arm 5 1 2

3 pm Channel IN 2 57 2 5 From Shuswap Lake 2 37 2 5

2 pm - From Salmon Arm 20 SalmArm -> ShuLake 7 ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 3

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 85

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 7 63 5 3 Into Shuswap Lake 7 59 5 3

Into Salmon Arm 4

4 pm Channel IN 59 7 1 1 From Shuswap Lake 44 7 1 1

3 pm - From Salmon Arm 15 SalmArm -> ShuLake 8 ShuLake -> SalmArm 9 Channel OUT 8 61 8 5 Into Shuswap Lake 8 56 8 5

Into Salmon Arm 5

5 pm Channel IN 53 13 1 4 From Shuswap Lake 37 10 1 3

4 pm - From Salmon Arm 16 3 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 13 ShuLake -> SalmArm 14 Channel OUT 1 42 5 2 1 Into Shuswap Lake 1 38 5 2 1

July31, 2010 Into Salmon Arm 4

6 pm Channel IN 87 7 6 From Shuswap Lake 75 7 4

5 pm - From Salmon Arm 12 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake 7 ShuLake -> SalmArm 5 Channel OUT 1 32 2 Into Shuswap Lake 1 26 2

Into Salmon Arm 6

7 pm Channel IN 66 11 8 - - From Shuswap Lake 57 9 4 pm

6 From Salmon Arm 9 2 4 SalmArm -> ShuLake 9 ShuLake -> SalmArm 12

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 86

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 1 8 1 Into Shuswap Lake 1 5 1

Into Salmon Arm 3

9 am Channel IN 12 10 2 1 From Shuswap Lake 12 8 2 1

8 am - From Salmon Arm 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 Channel OUT 4 16 4

Into Shuswap Lake 4 13 3 Into Salmon Arm 3 1 Channel IN 10 13 2 2 1 10 am From Shuswap Lake 10 10 2 1

9 am - From Salmon Arm 3 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake 1 August 1, 2010 ShuLake -> SalmArm 2 Channel OUT 34 6 1 4 Into Shuswap Lake 30 6 1 3

Into Salmon Arm 4 1

11 am Channel IN 3 22 1 1 1 From Shuswap Lake 3 18 From Salmon Arm 4 1 1 1 - - 10 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 8 ShuLake -> SalmArm 12

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 87

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 1 78 22 1 4 1 Into Shuswap Lake 1 75 22 1 3 1

Into Salmon Arm 3 1

12 pm Channel IN 11 38 10 1 1 From Shuswap Lake 11 29 8 1 1 From Salmon Arm 9 2 - - 11 am SalmArm -> ShuLake 13 ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 9 2 Channel OUT 3 91 22 1 1 6 1 Into Shuswap Lake 3 73 20 1 1 5 1 Into Salmon Arm 18 1 1

1 pm Channel IN 8 46 14 5 From Shuswap Lake 8 34 14 4

From Salmon Arm 12 1 - - 12 pm SalmArm -> ShuLake 11 ShuLake -> SalmArm 21 Channel OUT 127 15 9 Into Shuswap Lake 113 10 7

Into Salmon Arm 14 5 2 August 1, 2010

2 pm Channel IN 9 71 6 1 1 3 From Shuswap Lake 9 60 5 1 1 3

1 pm - From Salmon Arm 11 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 16 ShuLake -> SalmArm 19 Channel OUT 4 99 15 3 Into Shuswap Lake 4 88 14 3

Into Salmon Arm 11 1

3 pm Channel IN 7 69 9 3 From Shuswap Lake 7 55 7 3

2 pm - From Salmon Arm 14 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake 14 ShuLake -> SalmArm 10

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 88

Time Direction

Period Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat / Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial Channel OUT 4 61 7 1 6 Into Shuswap Lake 4 50 6 1 5

Into Salmon Arm 11 1 1

4 pm Channel IN 5 96 15 2 7 1 From Shuswap Lake 5 75 10 2 3 1

3 pm - From Salmon Arm 21 5 4 SalmArm -> ShuLake 17 ShuLake -> SalmArm 14 Channel OUT 5 66 4 1 6 Into Shuswap Lake 5 54 3 1 4

Into Salmon Arm 12 1 2

5 pm Channel IN 1 101 11 2 4 From Shuswap Lake 1 92 9 2 1

4 pm - From Salmon Arm 9 2 3 SalmArm -> ShuLake 22 ShuLake -> SalmArm 1 12 Channel OUT 7 39 1 1 1 Into Shuswap Lake 7 30 1 1

Into Salmon Arm 9 1 August 1, 2010

6 pm Channel IN 2 102 6 7 From Shuswap Lake 2 74 4 5

5 pm - From Salmon Arm 28 2 2 SalmArm -> ShuLake 11 ShuLake -> SalmArm 16 Channel OUT 7 36 7 2 Into Shuswap Lake 7 22 2 2

Into Salmon Arm 14 5

7 pm Channel IN 74 8 3 From Shuswap Lake 57 6 2

6 pm - From Salmon Arm 17 2 1 SalmArm -> ShuLake 3 ShuLake -> SalmArm 7

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 89

Time / /

Direction Period

Doo - Houseboat Ski Boat Speedboat Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Pontoon Boat Commercial

30/07/2010 244 2198 344 4 26 134 10 31/07/2010 154 2473 250 6 22 134 6 01/08/2010 210 2833 375 12 24 154 6

Totals: 608 7504 969 22 72 422 22

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 90

Appendix III Salmon Arm Data Tables

Salmon Arm

Doo -

Date Time Houseboats Just Boating Water Skiing Water Tubing Sea Canoe Fishing Boat Total 30/07/2010 7:20 2 1 1 2 6 30/07/2010 13:30 2 2 2 6 30/07/2010 17:00 8 10 4 22 31/07/2010 8:00 1 2 2 1 1 7 01/08/2010 9:00 2 2 2 6 02/08/2010 7:30 12 1 1 3 17 03/08/2010 7:30 1 2 3 03/08/2010 15:30 4 5 19 2 4 34

Total 31 23 29 2 4 12 101

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 91

Appendix IV Sorrento Data Tables Date 30/07/2010 30/07/2010 Time From 10:00 12:00 Time To Location From Shore From Shore Total Run-about 4 12 16 All Boarding 2 3 5 All Tubing 2 1 3 Cabin Cruisers 1 2 3 Drifters 2 2 Houseboats 1 1 Open Boats 1 1 Sailboats 0 Personal Water Crafts 3 3 Party Barges 2 2 Man Powered 0 Other 0 Total 11 25 36

Date 01/08/2010 01/08/2010 01/08/2010 01/08/2010 Time From 10:40 11:20 12:20 12:55 Time To 11:20 12:20 12:55 13:55 Scotch Creek / Location Shuswap Arm Copper Island Blind Bay Shuswap Arm Total Run-about 31 43 49 67 190 All Boarding 8 6 5 2 21 All Tubing 7 6 13 13 39 Cabin Cruisers 1 7 5 4 17 Drifters 3 17 6 19 45 Houseboats 1 3 4 Open Boats 1 1 2 Sailboats 2 1 1 6 10 Personal Water Crafts 3 7 12 18 40 Party Barges 3 3 4 9 19 Man Powered 1 1 Other 0 Total 60 93 95 140 388

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 92

Date 02/08/2010 02/08/2010 02/08/2010 02/08/2010 Time From 13:50 14:35 15:00 15:25 Time To 14:35 15:00 15:25 16:15 Scotch Creek Location and Shuswap Arm Copper Island Blind Bay Shuswap Arm Total Run-about 66 32 25 53 176 All Boarding 7 2 3 1 13 All Tubing 11 6 13 14 44 Cabin Cruisers 10 5 1 8 24 Drifters 19 34 9 12 74 Houseboats 3 3 Open Boats 1 2 2 5 Sailboats 3 3 2 8 Personal Water Crafts 18 10 12 13 53 Party Barges 3 3 3 7 16 Man Powered 1 1 Other 0 Total 141 98 66 112 417

Location Sorrento Total Run-about 382 All Boarding 39 All Tubing 86 Cabin Cruisers 44 Drifters 121 Houseboats 8 Open Boats 8 Sailboats 18 Personal Water Crafts 96 Party Barges 37 Man Powered 2 Other 0 Total 841

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 93

Appendix V Index of Charts

Chart 1 Total Boat Count by Lake Sections ...... 7 Chart 2 Boat Groups at Canoe ...... 17 Chart 3 Section C Boat Count and Subsection Results ...... 21 Chart 4 Sicamous Channel In/Out Traffic ...... 22 Chart 5 Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Boat Type ...... 25 Chart 6 Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day ...... 28 Chart 7 Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day and Boat Type ...... 30 Chart 8 Zone C1 Traffic Summary by Time of Day and Boat Type (Detail) ...... 31 Chart 9 Zone C1 Traffic Density Analysis and Comparison ...... 36 Chart 10 Zone C2 Data Summary ...... 41 Chart 11 Zone C2 Traffic by Boat Groups ...... 42 Chart 12 Zone C2 Houseboat Traffic ...... 43 Chart 13 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic (All Boats) ...... 45 Chart 14 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic (Except Motorboats) ...... 45 Chart 15 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details (Motorboats) ...... 47 Chart 16 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details (Except Motorboats) ...... 48 Chart 17 Subsection C2-DA1 Activity Count ...... 50 Chart 18 Zone C2 Traffic Density Analysis ...... 52 Chart 19 Section C2 Traffic Summary ...... 55 Chart 20 Section C Traffic Density Analysis ...... 58 Chart 21 Section C Traffic Density Comparison ...... 59

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 94

Appendix VI Index of Tables

Table 1 Section A Counting Dates ...... 9 Table 2 Section A Counting Summary ...... 9 Table 3 Section A Lake Activity and Boat Types ...... 10 Table 4 Sorrento Count July 30 ...... 11 Table 5 Sorrento Count August 01 ...... 11 Table 6 Sorrento Count August 02 ...... 12 Table 7 Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm ...... 12 Table 8 Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm ...... 13 Table 9 Sorrento Count, Sub-Section Shuswap Lake Arm ...... 13 Table 10 Salmon Arm Count at Canoe ...... 16 Table 11 Section C Counting Zones and Subsections ...... 21 Table 12 Sicamous Channel Traffic by Boat Type ...... 22 Table 13 Zone C1 Daily Traffic by Boat Type ...... 25 Table 14 Zone C1 Daily Traffic for All Subsections ...... 26 Table 15 Zone C1 Total Traffic for All Subsections ...... 27 Table 16 Zone C1 Total Traffic by Time of Day ...... 27 Table 17 Zone C1 Boat Types by Time of Day ...... 29 Table 18 Zone C1 Density and Activity Count ...... 32 Table 19 Zone C1 Hourly Density Statistic Sicamous Channel ...... 34 Table 20 Zone C1 Hourly Density Statistic Shuswap Lake and Salmon Arm ...... 35 Table 21 Average People per Boat ...... 37 Table 22 Boats Entering/Exiting Zone C1 Subsections ...... 37 Table 23 Lake Users in Zone C1 ...... 38 Table 24 Zone C2Traffic Count Summary ...... 42 Table 25 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Summary ...... 44 Table 26 Zone C2 Hourly Traffic Details ...... 46 Table 27 Boat Density and Activity Count, Subsection C2-DA1 ...... 49 Table 28 Boat Density and Activity Count, Subsection C2-DA2 ...... 50 Table 29 Zone C2 Hourly Density Statistic (Mara Lake) ...... 51 Table 30 Lake Users in Zone C2 ...... 53 Table 31 Section C Channel Traffic Summary ...... 56 Table 32 Section C Hourly Density Statistic (Sicamous Channel) ...... 57 Table 33 Lake Users in Section C ...... 60

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 95

Appendix VII Index of Maps

Map 1 Boat Count Locations ...... 5 Map 2 Section C Traffic Separation Map ...... 6 Map 3 Section A Recording Area ...... 8 Map 4 Section B Recording Area ...... 15 Map 5 Section C Recording Area and Subsection Plan ...... 20 Map 6 Section C - Zone C1 (Shuswap) ...... 23 Map 7 Section C - Zone C1 Daily Traffic Summary ...... 24 Map 8 Zone C1 Navigation Details ...... 64

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 96

Appendix VIII Index of Pictures and Illustrations

Image 1 Residential Development on Mara Lake ...... 3 Image 2 Boat Density in Zone C1 ...... 33 Image 3 High-powered Speedboats in Zone C1 ...... 39 Image 4 Policing on the Lake ...... 63 Image 5 Speeding Powerboat Inside the Navigation Line (Example 1) ...... 65 Image 6 Speeding Powerboat Inside the Navigation Line (Example 2) ...... 65 Image 7 Personal Watercraft Speeding in the Navigation Line ...... 66 Image 8 Personal Watercraft Riding the Waves ...... 66 Image 9 Confused Houseboats (1) ...... 67 Image 10 Confused Houseboats (2) ...... 68 Image 11 Risky Houseboating ...... 68 Image 12 Overloaded Motorboats ...... 69 Image 13 Canoes and Motorboats (1) ...... 70 Image 14 Canoes and Motorboats (2) ...... 70 Image 15 Racing Powerboats ...... 71 Image 16 People on Sandbank (1) ...... 71 Image 17 People on Sandbank (2) ...... 72 Image 18 People on Sandbank (3) ...... 72

Shuswap Lake Traffic Report 2010 Shuswap Lake Environmental Bernhard Kramer http://www.shuswaplakewatch.com Impact Study 2010/2011 Page 97