Dragon Boat West

http://www.fraserriverkeeper.ca/news/newsletters/FRK-Feb-2010-Newsletter.pdf

I'm thinking....... Hmmmmm where have you been?  I'm surprised we aren't all glowing green at night by now!  I think everyone is just used to the smell and side effects

On some of my previous teams I have witnessed an occasional skin irritation on certain
crew members, but only very rarely.
Regarding your flu-like symptoms,without sounding too sarcastic, do you get the flu shot every year, and is your immunization record up to date? If you get sick "every time" you go dragon boating perhaps there is a deeper health issue you need to look into.
There are teams that practice on fresh water rather than ocean water, but i'm not sure how many of them are based in the Vancouver/lower mainland area.
Regarding the possibility of "serious lawsuits", every one who participates in RTA has to sign a waiver. If a paddler allegedly contracted a disease while racing at RTA it would be very difficult to prove the disease was contracted while paddling for a weekend at the RTA races.
If your health issues continue you may have to entertain the idea of finding a different
location/team to practice on/with, or find a different sport altogether. 

I have been paddling on False Creek for over ten years, sometimes six times a week. I get the flu, but from other paddlers. I must have hulied in this water fifty times, and yet here I am, paddling again to-day. When I was a kid, many years ago, False Creek was so industrialized and polluted you could almost walk across on the effluent. Now, whales, seals, comorants, herring, starfish, and even oysters thrive in the creek. Stop paddling if you feel there is a serious health hazard. I would love to paddle in pristine waters. But, we could always be in the United States, particularly Louisiana, where the waters are less than pristine, and the oil slick spreads, and spreads. 

I haven't paddled in the creek as long as madcap, and thankfully haven't hulied anywhere near as much, but I whole heartedly agree. 

The creek is definitely cleaner now than when I first started paddling, and there is abundantly more sea life evident.

I checked out some of the reports you linked to, and many of them are several years old, and don't reflect the current state of the creek now that many of the squatter boats are gone.

The only part of the creek that is occassionally a bit grungy is the dock at the Burrard Marina.  When the tide is going out, it will catch any floating crap that may have been dumped into the creek. 

I paddle about 6 times a week, sometimes shirts off and all (:D), and I'm ok......I think

Here is a good site to research the coliform count levels at various waters in the lower mainland, as you will note the False Creek levels have dropped drastically over the past few years, not even in the danger zone anymore:

http://www.vch.ca/your_environment/water_quality/recreational_water/

http://www.vch.ca/media/beachwaterquality_060310.pdf

For those who walk their dogs at Trout Lake and let them go in the water take note of it's coliform count, damn ducks. Plus people swim in it and there are no signs advising of the elevated coliform count.

Everyone's immune system is different. You should stop paddling for a while and see if its still happening to you. eliminate the potential cause and work from there. Go see a doctor. like now.

I dont take flu shots and I'm on coliform infested fc water almost everyday and I'm ok (save for the occasional itch on my arm from salt water right after a paddling session)
AND guys like Illuminate and others who paddles shirtless (occasionally bottomless, but censored by the bright sun lol jk) is totally fine too. although...was that a 3rd nipple i see growing???

I actually developed a third nipple I never told anyone about... and that never stopped me from paddling 6x a week.

I think manda would definitely beat me to being False Creek's first(hopefully) bottomless paddler

Whoa... actually I wrote my comment after I read NFW's comment. NICE!!!


I'd prefer not to have a 4th nipple on my inner thigh... but thanks for thinking of me  8))

That could actually happen lol


^ Corrected.  :D

I would have to agree with everyone above, take some time off from paddling and see if its really the creek that's making you sick..

I grew up paddling on the creek and I've never been sick.. I was even pregnant and was paddling years back when the water was really bad though her and I are both fine.

I agree with everyone, go see a doctor & see if there is something else going on - I'm 7years now, 2-4x/wk thru the hotter season and no problem... only fitter & stronger  :shock:
 ...
... really  :lol:

I'm doubting the legitimacy of the original poster. It is his/her first post and they did not provide any profile info. I'm thinking someone just looking for attention, though they did put a bit of effort into finding links regarding the water (however outdated some of this info is).

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/regions/lower_mainland/water_quality/reports/false_creek/figures.pdf

No disrespect taken, however it may be better to review the material you are given before posting links and making some "Chicken Little" claims...

First, the last report that you provided was a 2006 update to a report that examined microbiological data collected in False Creek between 1990 and 2002. Considering that data is almost ten years old, I'm not too sure how relevant it is nowadays since the Creek has changed a lot since then.

Second, if you look carefully at that report the red arrows you claim to indicate continous raw sewage discharge, they are actually Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs). During periods of high rain, stormwater runoff raises the levels of flow in the combined sewage system above the capacity of the pipes designed to carry flow to the treatment plant. This excess flow during storm events (a mixture of untreated sewage and stormwater) is then released directly into False Creek through the CSOs. It's hardly "continuous". It may be a bit troubling to know this considering the amount of rain Vancouver gets, however there was no mention of what constitutes a "storm event" and I have some faith in city engineers to design these to accommodate most Vancouver rainy days. Even with the overflow, I think it's a matter of "solution by dilution" when dumped into the Creek.

There isn't any doubt that False Creek isn't the cleanest water to play in but I don't think it warrants the lawsuits you were originally claiming. As mentioned before by everyone else, but you may want to check with your doctor... Also, how much water do you usually drink daily? Could be just a simple case of dehydration...

http://www.fraserriverkeeper.ca/news/newsletters/FRK-Feb-2010-Newsletter.pdf

Again please refer to the link I provided which states the coliform count at 80, well below the 200 count it takes to close down a beach. The east end is higher but the west and central water is almost in line with other beaches. These results are current, taken June 1, and are regularly updated. The water is fine for paddling, I would not swim in it but paddling is fine.


http://www.vch.ca/media/beachwaterquality_060310.pdf

I don't think he/she want's to see the reality that the creek is now almost as clean as other areas in the Vancouver Coastal region, and it's certainly now perfectly safe for water sports.

I find it interesting that he/she has now deleted all the old links as well as their story about how sick the creek water is making him/her.

The only link left is one pointing to a newsletter issued by an environmental group that is not concerned with the water quality but the quality of the sediment at the bottom of the creek.

One interesting quote from the report that caught my eye was:

“We call on the VCHA to immediately post signage warning the public and to monitor boat traffic, which may need to be controlled to prevent stirring up these highly contaminated sediments,” said Scott Edwards, Director of Advocacy Programs for Waterkeeper Alliance.

It would not surprise me to if the original poster on this thread was just here to stir up some sediment of his/her own, and this is the start of a campaign to limit boating activity in the creek.

If that is not the case, then maybe the user sick from false creek could identify themselves so that we know that his/her claims of illness are valid and this is not indeed a ruse to generate controversy in the lead up to the RTADBF.

Perhaps the correct question is how much false creek water do you ingest daily?...Should probably stick to the old adage of just shut up and paddle lol

*cough*troll*cough*

Since it looks like the originator of the thread has removed their content and likely started it for the sole purpose to rile up the community, we will be locking it up.