Latest news with #GregaryFord
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Several Vancouver beaches remain closed for swimming ahead of big event weekend
On a weekend shaping up to be full of festivities around the beach, including the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks, officials are warning people to stay out of the water in some popular areas. Nine beaches around Vancouver are currently designated as "not suitable for swimming," due to unsafe levels of E. coli, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH): Ambleside Beach. Wreck Beach. English Bay. Kitsilano Beach. Second Beach. Sunset Beach. Third Beach. Lions Bay. Trout Lake. Three more beaches have E. coli levels that were higher than expected in samples, though swimming is not restricted: Dundarave Beach. Sandy Beach. Eagle Harbour. Michael Schwandt, medical health officer at VCH, said it's uncommon to have this many beaches not suitable for swimming at the same time. "Normally, we might see one or more beaches within that status at a given point in time, but not very commonly do we see so many all at the same time," Schwandt said. There are a number of possible contaminants, according to Schwandt, including runoff from sewers or leaking sewage, as well as discharge from boats or animal sources like dogs and birds. "We're working with the local and regional government to further examine that." Schwandt said there's been more reports of recreational boating in the area, particularly with the weekend's upcoming festivals, and suggested discharge from boats could be contributing to the increased levels of E. coli. Gregary Ford, vice-president of Swim Drink Fish Canada, an environmental charity focused on connecting people with water, noted E. coli is a natural bacteria found in the water, one that's frequently an indicator of "human fecal waste." It has the potential to cause human gastrointestinal illnesses, ear infections, eye infections and skin infections, according to Ford. "It's an unpleasant way to spend the day after a lovely day at the beach." He noted combined sewers, in which sanitary sewers and storm sewers are combined into a single pipe that directs the water to a treatment facility, are one way E. coli can enter local waterways. The systems are designed to overflow into water bodies like lakes and rivers, so they don't overflow back into streets or basements. "But what that means is that sometimes we are depositing this deleterious substance directly into the waters that people frequent for swimming, drinking or fishing." Ford said investing in infrastructure to separate storm and sanitary sewers is a long-term and expensive solution, so many municipalities are also investing in low-impact green infrastructure that can reduce the amount of runoff water entering the sewer system, such as rain barrels, stormwater ponds, bioswales (which carry stormwater to another location) or rain gardens. Ford said climate change means warmer temperatures and more intense, frequent rainfall are predicted. "It's critical that we bring this into the conversation, because as our climate starts to change and these rainfall events become more common, those are things that we need to keep in mind moving forward regarding how we effectively manage our stormwater." Stephen Paetkau of Skookum Yacht Services operates a free mobile pump-out service for the City of Vancouver to pump out "black water" from boats out to the city's sewer. He said there hasn't been much of an increase in customers for the pump-out service recently. "It's been pretty static for the last seven or eight years," he said. He said he was unsure if people are dumping waste from their boats. "It's literally something you have to be in the water to watch it happen in order to know it's happening." He said the boating community is also likely "better behaved" now than a decade ago, but noted there's little enforcement of Transport Canada's rules on dumping waste.
CBC
26-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Headed to the beach for a swim? Here's what you should know before you go
Your guide to swimming in Ontario lakes this summer 2 hours ago Duration 2:28 Social Sharing When you think of beach cities, Toronto may not be the first to come to mind. Sure, we're on the lake, and yes, we have the Beaches, but on a hot day, many would turn their nose up at idea of taking a dip in the lake. But Toronto's beaches are some of the cleanest swimming areas in the world, according to Gregary Ford, vice-president of Swim Drink Fish Canada. The non-profit organization runs Canada's Blue Flag program, an international eco-certification awarded to beaches and marinas. "There's a stigma from the past that persists today about Lake Ontario. But we have clean, beautiful, amazing locations that people can cool off," he told CBC Toronto. "They are something that we're really fortunate to have here in Ontario." So if you're debating taking a swim in the lake this year or planning a beach day, here's what experts say you should consider before jumping into the water. Best practices Checking water quality data before you get into the water is the first and most important thing you should do, says Ford. "Water quality changes just like the weather does. It changes very quickly," he said. The status of Toronto's major beaches is posted on the city's website daily and includes details about when samples were last collected and how much E. coli was traced. There's usually some level of bacteria in the water but that shouldn't be an automatic red flag, says Mitch Bechtel. An open water swimmer, Bechtel developed Open Water Data, a website that shows detailed information about different swimming locations. "There's always some amount of bacteria. It's not a fresh-filtered water source. And it's OK that there's some bacteria in our bodies," he said. "What's interesting is that different regions have different thresholds that they consider safe or not… Ontario specifically is actually very strict, so when they say something is [has] passed, that's typically passed anywhere else in the world." Aside from checking for test results, best practice is to stay ashore after rainfall for 24 to 48 hours to avoid any wastewater runoff, Ford says. Additionally, if you see any birds or animals in water, stay clear of them, Bechtel said, because they "might be doing their thing in the water." Information on water quality tests can also be found on apps such as Swim, Drink, Fish's Swim Guide or in-person, lakeside, based on the flag on the lifeguard post.. Location, location, location This year, seven Toronto beaches received a Blue Flag designation. The international award is doled out worldwide to locations that demonstrate exceptional water quality and environmental management. The blue flag can be seen on world-class shores in Italy, Brazil and beyond. This summer, these seven Toronto beaches made the Blue Flag list: Gibraltar Point. Ward's Island Beach. Hanlan's Point. Cherry Beach. Kew-Balmy Beach. Woodbine Beach. Bluffer's Beach. Those locations tend to be a lot cleaner than others for two main reasons, Ford said. Not only are they away from the inner harbour, where water doesn't flush away as much, but they're also farther away from combined sewers, where stormwater mixes with wastewater and can spill into the lake after it rains. Toronto's west-end beaches aren't as lucky. "A good number of those combined sewers are in the Western Beaches area along the Humber River and emptying into Humber Bay," Ford said. "They are good quality beaches, and you can check the water quality for those beaches before you go out." Bechtel says conditions have vastly improved in recent decades after the city made improvements to its waterway and sewer systems.
