Because of changes to provincial regulations, the spillway at Garnett Reservoir must be widened.
Devon van der Meulen, manager of utilities for the municipality, said the provincial regulations changed in 2011 and now include a requirement for dam owners to prepare for probable maximum floods.
In response, Summerland council approved a resolution to keep the maximum high water level at the reservoir at 0.67 metres below full pool, based on a one in 1,000 year flood event.
In addition, a report will be brought forward for the 2015 budget deliberations, outlining how cost of increasing the capacity of the spillway can be funded.
The cost of widening the spillway by five metres would come at a cost of $400,000, van der Meulen said.
Until the municipality is able to widen the spillway, municipal staff are keeping up with the maintenance and operations of the dam.