Image Courtesy of MEC Big Chop Paddle Series
Billions of litres of untreated wastewater bypass treatment plants and flow into the Burrard Inlet and the ‘Mighty Fraser’ each year during heavy rainfalls. This water -- laden with raw sewage, pathogens and bacteria -- directly impacts the quality of the place where we swim, paddle and otherwise enjoy Vancouver’s waterfront.
When water isn’t safe to touch people withdraw from it, and when our connection to water fades, so does our instinct to protect it. At Fraser Riverkeeper, we envision a Vancouver where swimming advisories and polluted aquatic ecosystems are things of the past. Where water literate community members work together to ensure a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future for current and future generations.
We want to know it’s safe to splash and swim at our urban beaches; that when our children fall in the water while they learn to kayak, paddle-board or sail, they won’t be at risk of gastrointestinal illnesses, ear, eye and bladder infections, pneumonia, giardiasis, and other afflictions.
Visitors to our city need to see clear signage indicating the water bodies such as East False Creek are unsafe for swimming. We need to know whether a sewage overflow or bypass has occurred now, in real time, not in a yearly report that won’t be released for months.
By signing our letter, you show decision makers that water matters to you and your family. Join our movement for a #SwimmableVancouver!
Recently, the mayor and councillors of the City of Vancouver have announced a goal to make False Creek swimmable. Click here to view our recommendations!
