Burrard Inlet Environmental Indicators Report - the BIEAP and ...

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Burrard Inlet Environmental Indicators Report February 2008 Old Orchard Park (Chart 7-3) has been monitored since 2004. There were two closures of four days each in 2006. Levels have been elevated at various times in 2004 and 2006, but did not exceed the guideline. Chart 7-3: Fecal Coliform Data for Old Orchard Park (2002 to 2006) Geometric Mean - Fecal Coliform Bacteria/100 mL 600 500 400 300 200 100 Receiving Water Bacteriological Quality - Old Orchard Park Guideline 0 3-May 18-May 2-Jun 17-Jun 2-Jul 17-Jul 1-Aug 16-Aug 31-Aug 15-Sep 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Sunset Beach (Chart 7-4), in the West End of Vancouver, has had no beach closures between 2002 and 2006, although levels have been elevated in mid-summer in several years. Chart 7-4: Fecal Coliform Data for Sunset Beach (2002 to 2006) Geometric Mean - Fecal Coliform Bacteria/100 mL 600 500 400 300 200 100 Receiving Water Bacteriological Quality - Sunset Beach Guideline 0 1-May 16-May 31-May 15-Jun 30-Jun 15-Jul 30-Jul 14-Aug 29-Aug 13-Sep 28-Sep 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Page | 38
Burrard Inlet Environmental Indicators Report February 2008 What can we do to protect recreational use of the Inlet? Liquid wastes, including stormwater, untreated sanitary waste and wastewater treatment plant effluent, contain fecal bacteria, along with many other contaminants, which can accumulate in Burrard Inlet and have a negative effect on marine life. All levels of government take the issue of fecal contamination seriously: • when persistent elevated coliform counts are reported, potential causes are investigated • municipalities work to identify potential cross-connections between the sanitary and storm sewers Metro Vancouver suggests the following ways of safe pet waste disposal: • Flush it into the municipal wastewater system • Compost it in a separate location and use it for flower beds • Burry it with a carbon source (wood chips or ash) away from food • Bag it and place it in a park bin www.gvrd.bc.ca/recycling-andgarbage/dog-waste.htm • Metro Vancouver plans to separate the combined sanitary-storm sewers and to upgrade the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant, as described in Indicator 6. Enterococci monitoring protocols Many agencies (BC Ministry of Environment, US Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization) recommend the use of Enterococci, rather than fecal coliforms as a human health indicator in marine waters. Enterococci offer several advantages over fecal coliforms in the marine environment: • their numbers are more strongly correlated to incidents of gastrointestinal symptoms • they are more resistant to sewage treatment, including chlorination • they survive longer in water and sediment The revised primary contact guidelines for Enterococci are 35/100 mL (logarithmic mean of at least 5 samples) and 70/100L (maximum for one sample), with a minimum of one sample per week recommended. Secondary contact recreational guidelines for Enterococci have been proposed for False Creek by the Ministry of Environment. • Municipalities and Metro Vancouver have long-term budgets for replacement of aging infrastructure. Aging storm and sanitary sewer pipes become leaky, so that water enters (infiltrates) the pipes and wastewater exits (exfiltrates) into surrounding land and water. The same processes occur on a small scale for individual property owners. Residents can help reduce the potential for fecal contamination by in several ways: • collecting their dog waste and disposing of it as suggested by municipal authorities • maintaining septic fields properly (e.g., in rural areas of Indian Arm) • taking care not to leave waste when spreading manure on garden areas • reporting breaks in the sewage lines to your municipality (identifiable by odour and sight) Boaters should use holding tanks and pump out sewage at marinas rather than emptying tanks into the sea. Although older boats often lack holding tanks, the number of such boats is decreasing over time. Page | 39
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