Dragon Boat West

Something smells in False Creek and boat squatters feel the heat
Soaring fecal coliform counts prompt city to search for a solution


August 8, 2004
 
The finger of suspicion is being pointed at squatter boats after a big jump in fecal coliform counts in east False Creek, but the squatters deny they're the sole source of the problem.

The risk is large enough to prompt a meeting next week between Vancouver Health officials and the city's engineering department to discuss the readings and ways to deal with them.

"We have a number of theories," said Nick Losito, of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. "I think there's a suspicion that it's the illegal squatter boats that are there.

"Without some further analysis, I don't think we can conclude that, but there is definitely something in that east basin that is anomalous for that area."

Test results from Aug. 3 show a count of 550, more than double the 200 limit that usually leads to the closing of swimming beaches. False Creek East isn't a a swimming beach, but it is a popular area for dragon-boat paddlers, kayakers and other recreational users.

"You can get some accidental submersion . . . especially from novices," said Losito. "You can get spray kicking up from the water.

"Above 200, you have an increased possibility of coming down either with some form of gastrointestinal illness or eye infection. By extension, at 500 the risk is greater than at 200."

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Arthur Brock, director of the False Creek Property Owners' Association, called the situation "very worrying," adding the number of squatter boats in eastern False Creek has doubled in the last two years to 100.


Cont'd in article (http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=7f2e5414-f0d9-4094-a1ad-7dc7167314e9)

And does anyone else want to tell me "it's just water" as I'm getting this stuff in my face and up into my ear???

This is disgusting.

We should really get some kind of petition going & send it to the local MP to do something to get rid of the squatters.  Why is there no enforcement of the law???

I got water in my eyes 3x times today..

They're still stinging.. and it's been 12 hours ago..  :(

How selfish for the boat squatters to say that they aren't part of the problem.   People are people, and anyone who's worked in retail (myself included at one point) can testify that people are messy and lazy.   I don't believe that every single squatter out there on the water is "responsible" enough to properly dump their sewage/waste.

they did the test August 3rd, which was shortly after Indy.
during Indy, false creek was swamped with yachts and other boats . . .
that may have something to do with the high count.
funny thing is i saw a guy swimming/water skiing in the creek during Indy. guess he isn't from around here. :lol:

Wow.....I'm trying to imagine that.....no one buying in False Creek....no one living down there.....no one walking on the seawall.
It would be so desolate....they would either have to extend Gastown all the way to False Creek....or the name would finally suit the location.

But seriously.....there have been petitions in trying to clean up the creek....There is a society called Friends of False Creek and they doing their best to get it cleaned up.  

If you're really concerned....then let's get something going.  
We can't just sit and complain and laugh about it.  

Hell....can you imagine what your kids are going to look like from ingesting the water?????

neat. you got me curious, what kind of treatments have the Friends of False Creek been doing to the water, and what kind of work does this involve?

I encourage everyone to copy/edit this letter and send it to your MP, City Hall, Hedy Fry, Transport Canada, etc.  Let's see what kind of response we get.

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August 10, 2004


Hon. Hedy Fry
Member of Parliament, Vancouver Centre
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6
Email:  [email protected]


Dear Ms Fry,

Re: Illegal Boat Squatters and Soaring Fecal Coliform Count in False Creek

I am writing you regarding the serious and ongoing issue of soaring fecal coliform counts in False Creek.  On August 3, the coliform count measured over 550 in False Creek, more than double the limit of 200 which would require swimming beaches to be closed.  There is the strong likelihood that the primary reason for the unacceptably high coliform count is due to the raw sewage discharge from over 100 illegally moored boat squatters in False Creek.

False Creek is a very important tourist and recreational asset for the city of Vancouver, on par with Stanley Park.  False Creek is being used daily by hundreds of rowers, kayakers, canoeists and dragon boaters, and these people’s health is being placed at risk by the polluted waters.  In addition, the growing number of boat squatters has clogged up the waterway for recreational and tourist activities, have put at risk such events as the annual Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, and are forcing UBC to relocate its rowing facility to Richmond.  The raw sewage in False Creek is appalling to see and smell and the squatter boats are usually dilapidated wrecks.  The squatters are negatively affecting the thousand of residents who live along the shores of False Creek and the thousands of residents and tourists who use the seawall and visit the Creek’s many attractions, such as Science World and Granville Island.

False Creek and the boat squatters fall under the jurisdiction of Transport Canada.  Very little is being done to enforce the laws and move the illegal boat squatters out of False Creek and monitor and improve the water conditions of this valuable asset.  As the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre (which borders False Creek), you should be taking a leadership role, working with Transport Canada and the City of Vancouver to resolve this serious issue.  This should include enforcing the laws and quickly having the illegally moored boat squatters removed from False Creek.  Can you please let me know what actions you are taking to resolve this matter.

Yours truly,

Old article (http://www.vancourier.com/072202/news/072202nn1.html) about the Friends of False Creek group.
Dated July 10, 2002.

Great idea Imposter... We'll see if our government will actually listen to some of its people.  I've sent an email to Ms. Fry... I'll keep everyone posted on the response.. if any...

Heard on the radio that the Feds are doing something.  I didn't get all the details.  They said boats would be allowed to moor 2 weeks in summer and 3 weeks in winter witout a permit.  This would be in effect starting next spring.  IMO, 2 to 3 weeks is still too long.

what i was talking about at indy. meh heh.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/500ml/Vancouver%20Indy%202004/taking%20a%20swim%20in%20fc/DSC_0100.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/500ml/Vancouver%20Indy%202004/taking%20a%20swim%20in%20fc/DSC_0101.jpg)

that's disturbing...

during the 2004 Alcan db fest. the the murky green "water" s-l-o-w-l-y turned in to this crap like color...any one notice that? i was chasing boats on zodiacs...with out a lisences :lol: but i did have Kim and Ross w/ me so it's all good :roll:

in a nut shell even if the gov is planning put a limit on how long sqatters can sqwat. Flase creek creek is still going to be screaming "public feces/p***/god knoes wat else in that "water" zone"

you gotta look at the boat - majority of them near sci world...are pretty cruddy boats that don't have or the occupants don't use the boat "crap jar"

the water is so feces infested... i don't think friends of false Creek will make a big change unless they dump gallons of bleach in to it... think about it... the fecefied water has been feces infested since..."a long time" how are they going to clean it with out harming the organic specimens... unless they make some biosafe bacteria[like the oils eaters] that eats ermm human waste deposites [scratches head] i would like to know how the heck they are going clean up...

but the good news : at least FC's condiction won't worsen *hopefully* or else my team will bloody slap the fecefiers with our paddles! :upsidehead:

Fecal count of 500+?!?!?  That is absolutely disgusting!  But you can see the crap floating in the water.  Sometimes "logs" and condoms.  Gross!

So instead of a nice paddle, we are getting splashed and splashing our team mates, our friends, with other mammal excrement.  GROSS!!!

This is enough to make me quit my team and stick with Outrigger on Howe Sound.  Seriously!  Last year I had a 3 week ear infection that put me on antibiotics.  Lead to a sinus and throat infection along with a perforated ear-drum from the ear infection.  

Do I want to put my health at risk like this?

oh and to make things even gross'ER
humans eat perservatives... thus meaning... u get my drift right?...

I've noticed that every year at Alcan. I always thought it was because all the extra boat traffic was stirring up the sediment in the creek... not quite sure if that is just sediment anymore. :P

When the water first heats up in the summer (this year was early May, usually it is at the end of July), there is a type of algae that blooms.  This blooming period does make the water a red colour to a darker brown/redish colour.  Almost like the water is muddy.  This is red tide but it is completely harmless if you get splashed by it or even swim in red tide.  Eating shellfish is a whole different story but getting splashed is a non-issue.

BUT when you can actually see "logs" floating by and you can see excrement and condoms and lots of unknown "floaties" it is a bit concerning and the recent water test of 500+ fecal coliform count is HUGE.  :shock:

I absolutely love dragon boating but I have decided not to go this week because I am going on vacation next week and do not want to risk my week off in bed ill with some sort of infection because I have feces splashed on me during practice.  GROSS!!!!

whatever you do, don't research "fecal coliform" on the net..

*whelp* just did my huli drill for my OC1 orientation in Alder Bay tonight... I must say that as I went in all I could think about was "Coliform count of 500!! Keep mouth shut!!"

Then again I already took a swim in the Hudson so Alder Bay couldn't be much worse.. Kinda itchy all over right about now though...

I just got home from practice...it's my birthday today and the team threatened to throw me in, but luckily I avvoided the full dunking.  I just got splashed a little.  We went out for suhi afterwards, and Bif Naked was in the booth next to us, so that was kinda cool.

I must say...  Chaos was a bit better today then he was in Hudson River.  Maybe it was the lack of current....   :think:

Just think of this... we(brooooli) swam in the hudson and lived. Though I wouldn't want to go swimming in the creek or the hudson.

I remember being thrown in on the last day of practice when I was 14, just because I was the youngest on the team .. I was thrown in beside a dead seagull.. EWW! (wait a minute, I'm still the youngest on roli.. bleh).

Huliin near the globe in the dead of winter is never fun, then having to paddle back to fcrcc..

Happy belated bday ~@ngel~!

Thanks-it was a good one. :D  :wink:

There was an article in the Friday Province.



...

Its been over a month and still no reply to my letter from Ms Fry, other than they received the letter.  Not too impressive...

Everyone should send the letter to their MP - see what kind of response you get.  When (if?) I get something back, I'll post it.

This should still be a major concern with dragon boaters in False Creek.  Has only one had the water tested?  Is anyone worried about their health?  You should all ban together and have a huge protest, get on TV, make things happen.  Force the government to step up to the plate because False Creek is gross!

not that i disagree with you but what is the government going to do? A) they aren't enforcing their own moorage laws on the squaters.  B) they're issued the warnings, and we're not following them, and I gaurantee you they'll point that out.  C) their solution will be: for those of us who use the extreme east end of fake-o creek (IE D.Z. and D.B.A) they'll say... if you have such a problem with it, why don't you relocate your club.

there is no fix for this problem, its in the physical make-up of false creek.  the water at the east end sits stagnant and has no where to go.  their literally is nothing they can do to improve the water quality.  even if they ban all recreational boats from passage in that waterway, it would take years to have an effect, and it would be a mild one... a lot of that stuff comes in with the current, and then basically stays there... there's no where further to go, and its a very sheltered harbour space.  have you ever looked at the water in front of DZ in the summer?  On a saturday night, a small yacht could come in there and leave a slick of oil behind, and 8 hours later on a sunday morning you'll still see that slick in the exact same spot.

at least you can't see all the crap floating in the water by DZ all the time.  every time you launch from alder bay (fcrcc), you'll see condom, needles, liquified crap, other assorted garbage floating beside your boat.