9 results found

1. Divert sewer runoff into groundwater

   Before 1850 when the rain fell on Vancouver, it soaked into the ground, which then fed the over 50 streams which crisscrossed the land. This water which supported a multitude of life then ran to the Burrard Inlet, False Creek and the Fraser River.

   Today most of rainwater ends up on asphalt streets and the rooftops of buildings and this water runs into countless sewers which end up in the same surrounding water systems. As the water runs into the sewers, it picks up pollution from cars, residue from asphalt streets and tar roofs and many other small and large volumes of toxic substances that exist on our urban streets today.

   While we cannot bring back the original streams, we can work harder to divert storm runoff into green areas that can soak up and neutralize the pollution before it enters the water table below.

   For example, one such activity could be to create pocket marshes in parks where there is poor drainage. Parks were often built in marshy areas of streambeds in the first place (eg. Trout Lake, Douglas Park, China Creek Park). We can put back some pocket swamps to drain the water into the ground instead of doing a poor job of diverting the water into sewers to remove it from the area.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGzbDmgQHTo
   http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org/pdfs/falsecreek_swatershedfinal.pdf

   Before 1850 when the rain fell on Vancouver, it soaked into the ground, which then fed the over 50 streams which crisscrossed the land. This water which supported a multitude of life then ran to the Burrard Inlet, False Creek and the Fraser River.

   Today most of rainwater ends up on asphalt streets and the rooftops of buildings and this water runs into countless sewers which end up in the same surrounding water systems. As the water runs into the sewers, it picks up pollution from cars, residue from asphalt streets and tar roofs and many other small and large… more

   40 votes

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   1 comment  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   In addition to the ones in place, the Draft Greenest City Action Plan recommends increasing the number of infiltration systems.

   This link explains the types of integrated drainage that the City of Vancouver uses: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/watersewers/sewers/enviro/protect.htm#drainage

2. Improve sewage treatment

   Currently, the treatment plants of Iona and Lions Gate are only primary and yet to be upgraded. Secondary treatment is the Canadian standard for cities, and when Vancouver reaches that we'll just be average. A Greenest City would have tertiary treatment of its sewage, and should be a primary goal. Innovative technologies should be explored and developed in Vancouver on a larger scale to set an example, and to market to other cities globally. One example is a Solar Aquatics system (http://www.ecological-engineering.com/solaraquatics.html), as demonstrated in Bear River, Nova Scotia.

   20 votes

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   0 comments  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →

3. Celebrate water! Rain water, river water, ocean water -- let's treat it like we love it!

   Some ideas for celebrating water might include...

   • Making beautiful rain-powered water sculptures as public art
   • "Daylighting" our lost creeks
   • Creating new "creeks" (swales) and ponds to manage our stormwater
   • Making sure our rivers and ponds and coastlines stay/get clean enough to swim in and fish in and play in again

   What are your ideas?

   16 votes

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   1 comment  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Where possible, streams are being daylighted http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/stillcreek/index.htm, swales and infiltration bulges are being installed http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/streets/design/green.htm, rainwater is incorporated into public art at the Marine Drive Skytrain Station

4. Expand the Yellow Fish Markers on Storm Drain Sewers Program

   Historically, industrial man has been accustomed to using our waterways as a dumping ground for unwanted waste. Sadly this has led to our ocean becoming a toxic soup for animals and plants. Agricultural fertilizer runoff cause algal blooms. Inefficient or excessive garbage has caused many massive garbage (mostly plastic) islands to appear in the oceans and has had an adverse impact on seabirds and sea mammals. Chemicals are dumped down sewers and fish are killed immediately. In Burnaby Byrne Creek has had too many such incidents in the past few years; so many in fact that an initiative called “Stream of Dreams” was launched to educate the residents about chemical pollutants in drains.

   Our Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has introduced a program where community groups can paint or glue a yellow fish marker on the storm drain on their street. The yellow fish indicates that the sewer water goes to an area where there are fish and other sealife and we should be vigilant about not dumping pollutants and garbage down the drains. These kits are available through the City of Vancouver. This program should be expanded so that every street in Vancouver has yellow fish on every drain and every resident knows that the yellow fish means no toxic substances in the drains, even if that means buying a green car-washing fluid.

   http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sep-pmvs/sci-icp/stormdrain-collecteur-eng.htm
   http://www.streamofdreams.org

   Historically, industrial man has been accustomed to using our waterways as a dumping ground for unwanted waste. Sadly this has led to our ocean becoming a toxic soup for animals and plants. Agricultural fertilizer runoff cause algal blooms. Inefficient or excessive garbage has caused many massive garbage (mostly plastic) islands to appear in the oceans and has had an adverse impact on seabirds and sea mammals. Chemicals are dumped down sewers and fish are killed immediately. In Burnaby Byrne Creek has had too many such incidents in the past few years; so many in fact that an initiative called “Stream… more

   15 votes

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   0 comments  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Not part of the draft Greenest City Action Plan but new storm drains are embossed with an image of a fish.

5. Get rid of the chlorine in our swimming pools and water supply. even the new 2010 pool has chlorine

   get rid of the chlorine in our swimming pools and water supply. even the new pool by the nat bailey stadium has chlorine, even though the 2010 olympic buildings, of which this was a part, were supposed to be green. chlorine is NOT green.

   12 votes

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   1 comment  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →

6. Biodiversity and Permeability Standards through the Zoning By-law

   Create a biodiversity and permeability performance standards for new development through the Zoning By-Law. A variation on this could be create market incentives for more biodiversity.

   8 votes

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   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Permeability is already included in the Zoning Bylaw. Biodiversity is not covered by the Zoning Bylaw.

7. No personal care products that contain parabens
   8 votes

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   1 comment  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   under review  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   This is too detailed, but there is
   a recommendation in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan for enhancing source control.

8. Payment for ecosystem services

   Build a world-leading payment for ecosystem services program for the freshwater. A multi-tiered water user system that redistributes money from water users to watershed managers to restore and manage the watershed so that it continues to purify water naturally!

   6 votes

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   0 comments  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →

9. Composting public toilets for Wreck Beach (refer to West Coast Trail)

   Wreck Beach is one of the most popular destinations in our city - it is served by FAR too few porta-potties, and they are often too few as well as rather nasty. Take the idea even bigger and make it a city wide/beach wide initiative to replace aging or non-existant toilet facilities in parks/beaches from Stanley Park to Lighthouse Park....

   3 votes

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   0 comments  ·  Improve water quality  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   under review  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Wreck beach is not part of the City’s jursidction but, the feasibility of composting toilets in an urban setting is being investigated.