Water along local beaches cleaner than ever
Posted July 5, 2012 10:59 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A cool, rainy spring and summer has had at least one positive effect. The water along Metro Vancouver beaches has never been cleaner! Surprisingly, you can even swim in Trout Lake.
According to Vancouver Coastal Health, at this time last year, the fecal coliform count at the East Vancouver lake was over 300 (warnings go up at 200).
This year, Senior Environment Health Officer Shelley Beaudet with VCH says “[the] average is 123. Last week, it was 95. So it’s quite swimmable!”
And even with those commendable numbers, it’s still one of the worst places. So, why are we seeing such clean water?
“We’ve completed a lot more sewer separation,” explains Peter Judd, City of Vancouver engineer. “So you’re getting less sewer overflow going in and more pure water.”
“The weather is cooler, so there is less boating activity and we believe that contrary to regulations, sewage does get dumped in from pleasure boats,” he adds.
Judd expects things to get worse as the summer goes on. But right now, the water is as clean as they’ve ever seen.
“It’s always a good time to take to the water in Vancouver. People need to be aware that east of the Cambie bridge, the water quality is not as good as elsewhere but overall, it’s pretty darn good and you can see that from the marine life that’s coming back into False Creek as well,” he says.
You’ll be able to tell if the water becomes dangerously contaminated.
“When there is an issue, we will definitely notify the Vancouver Park Board and the beaches will be posted [with a notice]. But, other than Trout Lake, there have been very few postings in the time that I’ve been in this position,” adds Beaudet.
The cleanest of the clean are WhyteCliff Park in West Vancouver, Cates Park in North Vancouver, and Locarno Beach along English Bay. Not far behind are Second, Third, and Wreck Beaches.
Click here to check out the latest water quality rankings.
