Rodrigo Silva de Paula calls himself a “water man”: he spends about 330 days a year in the ocean teaching paddleboarding.
But high levels of E. coli at some of Vancouver’s beaches are testing his patience.
“It’s frustrating because it’s not the first time it’s happened,” said a 44-year-old woman who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia
Silva de Paula is one of many residents calling on the city to do more to keep beaches safe from bacteria.
Vancouver’s Sandy Beach, Snug Cove and Trout Lake beaches are currently under an E. coli advisory, meaning they are unsafe to swim in, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).
The bacteria can cause gastrointestinal disease, skin and eye infections.
According to the VCH, E. coli may be naturally present in water; however, there is an increased risk of illness with exposure to higher concentrations of the bacteria.
For example, swimming beaches will be closed if a sample detects E. coli levels above 400 in 100 milliliters of water.
Among the highest levels reported this month were July 1 in Deep Cove, where E. coli levels were about 9,200 per 100 millimeters of water. This recommendation has since been withdrawn.
English Bay was filmed in May with signs advising swimmers to stay out of the water. E. coli is a bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and skin and eye infections, according to Vancouver Coastal Health. (Kiran Singh/CBC)
E. coli is a bacteria commonly associated with fecal contamination of water, says Brett Finlay, a biotechnology specialist at the University of British Columbia.
“It’s a way of saying the water is dirty, it’s polluted. And there’s potential fecal contamination in there.” And there could be a danger of falling into that water and swallowing it,” he said.
VCH says the leading causes of E. coli in water include leaking septic tanks and boat discharges and stormwater runoff after heavy rains.
Silva de Paula says the water being compromised by E. coli means livelihoods like his are facing more challenges and people are missing out on beach activities that could be available and relief in the hot summer weather.
“If you’re working in a place where everything below you can be relatively toxic, it really changes the way you work,” Silva de Paula said. He says customers are also worried about bacteria.
Rodrigo Silva de Paula says high levels of E.coli in the water mean livelihoods like his are more challenged and people are missing out on beach activities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Bob Putnam, co-owner of Deep Cove Kayak Center — which offers rentals and lessons in water activities, including paddle boarding and kayaking — said the high E. coli levels on July 1 were unusual.
“They got a very high reading. And it’s kind of alarming why that happened,” he said.
If the E. coli recommendation holds, Putnam says his team is changing the location of kayaking lessons when those lessons include teaching kids to capsize.
Others continue to kayak but avoid swimming, Putnam says.
“We would encourage people to wash their hands, we find that most people are not very concerned about it.”
E. coli mitigation for the future is in the works
With climate change, more heavy rain and flooding are likely to contribute to higher levels of E. coli on Vancouver’s beaches, Finlay says.
“In general, adverse weather events always cause adverse infections. And that certainly puts a strain on our current hygiene systems.”
To help reduce E. coli levels in water, it’s important to address water quality in general, according to Finlay.
“What else is in the water that might be dirty? And how do we get that water cleaner?”
One of the City of Vancouver’s efforts is to separate combined sewers and pump stations, which they say has likely helped reduce E. coli over the years.
In a combined sewer and stormwater system, city infrastructure can quickly become overloaded during heavy rainfall, causing excess untreated stormwater and sewage to overflow into a nearby watershed, according to the city.
A split system means that rainwater is collected through storm drains, allowing it to pass through different pipes from domestic sewage and other waste water and eliminating sewer overflows.
In combined sewer and stormwater systems, urban infrastructure can quickly become overloaded during heavy rainfall. (Stories about here)
“Sewer separation is a very complex process that will cost the city billions of dollars in the coming years,” a city spokesman said in an emailed statement.
The city says its current outlook for the next 10 years will see sewer separation work in the Dunbar, Balaclava, Angus, China Creek, Point Grey, Grandview Woodlands and Hastings-Sunrise sewer catchments.
“We are currently working to replace about 1% of the sewer system annually, with the goal of eliminating combined sewer overflows by 2050.”
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