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[BernMan]

Coliform warning for False Creek
Bacteria levels in eastern False Creek spike to record-breaking highs
Nicole Tomlinson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, July 04, 2008
Vancouver Coastal Health is considering issuing an unprecedented warning to kayakers and dragon boaters after coliform bacteria levels in eastern False Creek spiked to record-breaking highs, the regional director of health protection said Friday.

A water-quality assessment released Thursday reported levels in the area were at 2,900 -- almost six times higher than any other region monitored by the health authority.

The City of Vancouver closes beaches when coliform bacteria reaches 200, Domenic Losito said.

More to come


http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=e9af37d5-4a90-466a-97fa-3cd545abc5a0

[LittleSchrodinger]

That's certainly worrisome for those of us who frequents FC. I recall last year one of our team members came down with E.coli. Hopefully it won't happen again, but wow, don't they have any plans to clean up False Creek?

[Special K]

I saw a group of kids (at least five) swimming by the houseboats on Wednesday evening, yuck!!! Wonder how they're feeling.

That is just sooooo wrong.

[rtsdhvy]

Our team once had a member who was late for practice so she decided to jump into
False Creek in a effort to meet up with us in the middle of the creek ( dragonboat waterchange??) I'm still not sure if she did it because she was so dedicated to the team
or because she was trying the get the attention of the officers in the VPD zodiac. I guess she had a thing for men in uniform. This incident happened about 3 years ago when the False Creek water "much cleaner"(he said sarcastically). I haven't seen her since that season, but I'm sure she's fine.

[mandachan]

I once snapped up a condom that hit my drummer, but I'm sure she's fine now. The traumatization that followed shortly after only lasted a few months. She doesn't dragonboat anymore.

At least it doesn't turn your body orange like Burnaby Lake does, teehee.

[brainiac]

The warning is for the eastern end of False Creek (east of Cambie). The central and western areas are a bit better with coliform counts of 500 and 300 respectively. That's still pretty high but nowhere near as bad as 2900.

Here is a letter from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority:

RECREATIONAL WATER QUALITY ADVISORY

Due to elevated coliform counts in the East Basin of False Creek, the Medical Health Officer is advising recreational users of this water body to refrain from doing so until further notice.  Kayakers, rowers, dragon-boaters and other users of East False Creek (east of Cambie Bridge) are encouraged to utilize the Central and West basins of False Creek.   

If users insist on using the East Basin, they should take extra precautions to prevent ingestion (swallowing) or inhalation of water droplets, or submersion into False Creek water.  Should an accidental exposure occur, shower off with clean water and wash hands thoroughly after leaving the boat or water.

The sources of the accidental sewage contamination have been discovered and rectified as of 4:00 p.m. Friday, July 4th   We expect to see improving results as early as next week and will lift the advisory as soon as the coliform counts return to acceptable levels.  Visit http://www.vch.ca/environmental/ for updates on July 7th.

[zoso]

This is the latest that was printed in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday.

False Creek coliform count soars
Polluted water prompts health authority warning
Saturday, July 05, 2008

VANCOUVER - Fecal coliform counts in False Creek are off the scale, prompting Vancouver health officials to issue an unprecedented warning to recreational boaters.
Concentrations of the bacteria are so high that rowers, kayakers and dragon boaters are urged to stay out of the water and avoid False Creek's eastern basin.
Vancouver beaches are normally closed when the coliform bacteria count reaches 200.
At False Creek's eastern basin last month, the average amount was 2,900 per 100 millilitres of water, almost six times higher than any other region monitored by Vancouver Coastal Health, according to data released Thursday.
Sunset Beach, the closest beach to False Creek, is reporting coliform counts of 118 per 100 ml of water.
Three sewer malfunctions near major construction projects, such as the Olympic village and the Canada Line construction, appear to be the main cause of the high counts, said Domenic Losito, VCH's regional director of health protection.
The micro-organism is an indicator of how sanitary the water is. Exposure to high concentrations can lead to infections in the eyes, ears and gastrointestinal tract, he added.
In one incident, a backwater valve that apparently got stuck in the open position on the south side of False Creek at the foot of Columbia Street was "allowing raw sewage into the water" before it was fixed on Friday, he said.
And in mid-June, city crews struggled to fix a sewer "plugged with granular debris or gravel" that may have been "from homeowner or bigger construction dumping," said David Desrochers, manager of sewer design for the City of Vancouver.
"If you look around you see all sorts of construction in the area ... it probably has something to do with it," Desrochers said. "Somehow debris that's heavier than normal got into our sewer system."
Development leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver has put stress on infrastructure and urban aquatic systems, said Hans Schreier, a professor at the University of B.C. who specializes in storm water pollution.
"Construction creates sediment -- developers are supposed to retain it all [with structures such as sediment fences], but that's almost impossible," he said.
"There are also illegal connections -- a developer looks for the nearest pipe, and sometimes it's the storm water pipe and not the sewer pipe, then they just hook the new plumbing in."
Charlie Cuzzetto, director of the False Creek Community Centre, questioned why VCH waited more than a day after releasing the data to advise the public of possible health risks.
"I would issue an advisory as soon as I knew there was a health concern," said Cuzzetto, who informed kayakers at the centre after hearing the news on the radio.
"And you'd like to know it from the sources and not the media."

[rightarm]

meh

i've wound up in false creek more times than i care to admit, in some pretty questionable waters, and i'm perfectly fine

except for that third eyeball in the back of my head 

[Swordfish]

You'd figure that with the Olympic Village being right there that there would be extra precautions/measures taken to clean up the water around there...oh well, as John Glenn said to himself seconds before being blasted off into space: "Oh my God! I'm sitting on a pile of low bids!!"

[brainiac]

Heh, the Globe and Mail used this forum as a reference: http://tinyurl.com/5pz5lo. LittleSchrodinger and Special K are now famous!

[denistran]

Wow, i think its time I clarify what little schrodinger said about a dude getting E. Coli.

We cant really confirm it is from False Creek Water, although it could be. But If I recall, the person you are referring to went to a barbecue with me and i found the beef patties to be... slightly undercooked. Within one week later, he got E Coli. We can never really confirm that he actually got it from the undercooked burgers or the water. But I would place my money on the burger.

[Special K]

Heh, the Globe and Mail used this forum as a reference: http://tinyurl.com/5pz5lo. LittleSchrodinger and Special K are now famous!

My mom will be sooooo proud! Not to mention Paddleboy (my brother) will be jealous!

Wish I wrote something a little more profound 

[threesea]

Personally, I'll be passing on this week's practices.  I'll ramp up my cross training to build/maintain my stamina.  I've been paddling for eight years now.  If I haven't got it yet, I don't think two days is going to help any now.

Nanaimo, here I come!

[mo]

i rembr 2 years ago at my last practice before alcan, one of the younger rowdy boats came by and started a water fight in the middle of the creek.  i thought i was being smart by covering my face and a lot of water got into my ear instead.  i got a serious ear infection right after.

i can tell which paddlers are new to the creek when i get disgusted looks from them when i start hacking, spitting and rinsing my mouth (not with FC water!) after a race.  I value my health more than being lady-like!

[LittleSchrodinger]

Wow, the media are quick to pick out the selective wordings. -_- Maybe I should have worded my stuff better to avoid the alarm, too. But, seriously, they're using a third-party internet forum as a reference?

Oh well, panic-inducing media will always be the same.