But high levels of E. coli on some of Vancouver’s beaches are testing his patience. “It’s disappointing because it’s not the first time it’s happened,” said the 44-year-old, who lives in Vancouver, B.C. Silva de Paula is one of many residents calling on the city to do more to keep beaches safe from bacteria. Sandy Beach, Snug Cove and Trout Lake beaches in Vancouver are currently under E. coli guidelines, meaning they are not safe for swimming, according to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). Bacteria can cause gastrointestinal diseases, skin and eye infections. According to the VCH, E. coli can be naturally present in water. However, there is an increased risk of illness with exposure to higher concentrations of bacteria. For example, swimming beaches will be closed if a sample detects levels of E. coli exceeding 400 in 100 milliliters of water. Among the highest levels reported this month was on July 1 in Deep Cove, where E. coli levels were about 9,200 per 100 millimeters of water. This advice has since been removed.
English Bay is pictured 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 generally associated with faecal contamination of water, says Brett Finlay, who specializes in biotechnology at the University of British Columbia. “It’s a way of saying the water is dirty, it’s contaminated. And there’s potential contamination with feces in there. And there can be a risk of getting into that water and ingesting it,” he said. VCH says the main contributors of E. coli to water include septic tank leaks and discharges from boats and stormwater runoff after heavy rains. Silva de Paula says the water’s compromise with E. coli means more challenges for livelihoods, as well as its face, and people are missing out on beach activities that can be affordable and relieve 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 operate,” Silva de Paula said. He says customers are also concerned about bacteria. Rodrigo Silva de Paula says high levels of E.coli in the water mean his livelihood is 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 for water-based activities such as stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking — says the high levels of E. coli on July 1 were unusual. “It’s a very high reading that they got. And that’s a little concerning as to why that happened,” he said. If an E. coli advisory holds true, Putnam says his team is changing the location of kayaking lessons when those lessons include teaching kids about capsizing. Others continue to kayak, but avoid swimming, Putnam says. “We would encourage people to wash their hands, we find that most people are not too concerned about it.”

E. coli mitigation for the future is a work in progress

With climate change, it’s likely that more heavy rain and flooding will contribute to higher levels of E. coli on Vancouver’s beaches, Finlay says. “Adverse weather always causes adverse infections, basically. And it certainly stresses our current sanitation systems.” To help reduce E. coli levels in water, it’s important to look at water quality as a whole, according to Finlay. “What else is in the water that might be dirty? And how can we find this water purifier?” One effort by the city of Vancouver is to separate combined sewer basins and pump stations, which they say may have supported E. coli reductions over the years. In a combined sewer and stormwater system, the city’s infrastructure can quickly become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, causing excess raw stormwater and sewage to overflow into a nearby body of water, according to the city. A split system means that rainwater is collected through storm drains, allowing it to travel through different pipes from domestic sewage and other sewage and eliminating sewage overflows. In a combined sewer and stormwater system, city infrastructure can quickly become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall. (Stories about here) “Sewage 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 watersheds. “We are currently working to replace approximately 1 percent of the sewer system annually, with the goal of eliminating combined sewer overflows by the year 2050.”