Fraser Riverkeeper and Swim Drink Fish use community science and communications technology to inspire people just like you to know and safeguard your local waters. Much of this is achieved through our monitoring programs and outreach opportunities.
With Our Friends!
Sea Smart's Caring for our Waters Webinar
Faces of the Fraser - Solution to Pollution with Fraser Riverkeeper
Vancouver Open Water Swim Association webinar: Safe ocean swimming and water quality
Stakeholder Engagement and Participation
Vancouver’s Sewage and Rainwater Management Plan (SRMP)
The SRMP is being developed in response to motions from both Vancouver City Council and the Vancouver Park Board to take accelerated action on eliminating combined sewer overflows (CSO) by 2030. While the City of Vancouver has been working over several decades on this complex issue, more integrated and innovative solutions are needed so that we can clean up our waters while responding to key imperatives and drivers. The City knows they can’t do this work alone, and recognize the significant contributions that others have made. The City is convening a Project Advisory Group of partners and stakeholders, in which Fraser Riverkeeper is a member, to help inform, advise, and shape the SRMP and we are engaging with them to explore our participation in this group.
Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades
The Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (IIWWTP) in Richmond, BC is facing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in the health of the Salish Sea and adjacent communities. It is being upgraded to protect public health and the environment in a growing region.
Fraser Riverkeeper participated in a public consultation process regarding proposed upgrades at Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Project in response to Metro Vancouver’s request for feedback from stakeholders, First Nations, and the public on the current design concept that was presented during previous engagement.
Upgraded wastewater management can lead to a healthier Salish Sea. Check out this guest blog by Obabika's Zack Shoom which outlines the different types of wastewater treatment, as well as how upgrading to a true tertiary treatment method will help our waters.
Metro Vancouver's Liquid Waste Management Plan Public Advisory Committee
Metro Vancouver has established a public advisory committee to provide expert knowledge and relevant experience to inform the update of the Liquid Waste Management Plan. The current plan was approved by the provincial government in 2011 and established the coordinated approach for wastewater management in the Metro Vancouver region, and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy must be satisfied that there has been adequate engagement with the public and Indigenous Nations and peoples.
Lauren has been invited to represent the local wastewater community as the project team feels our contributions would be invaluable as they update the Liquid Waste Management Plan to ensure continued protection of human health and the environment in the face of evolving challenges and societal perspectives.
Burrard Inlet Water Quality Roundtable
Fraser Riverkeeper participates as a member of the quarterly Burrard Inlet Water Quality Roundtable and the biannual Burrard Inlet Water Quality Monitoring Coordination Meetings led by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the BC Ministry of Environment. Some of the goals of this roundtable and meeting include program comparison and collaborations, priority coordination, and data sharing. Participating groups include members of municipal, provincial, and federal government, representatives for the local First Nations, and non-profit organizations engaged in water monitoring.
Friends of False Creek
The Friends of False Creek is a nonprofit society incorporated in BC working towards the designation of False Creek as a National Urban Marine Park, because there is precedent and there are evolving models. The world has one other national urban marine park – Plymouth Sound National Urban Marine Park in the UK. This group of citizens works to restore the False Creek marine environment in alignment with First Nations stewardship values and marine science, with recognition and respect for the presence and rights of all people to enjoy and use False Creek in sound and healthy environmental ways.
Sea2City Community Advisory Group
Fraser Riverkeeper sits on City of Vancouver’s latest sea level rise project called the Sea2City Design Challenge(Sea2City), which focuses on False Creek and is a proactive and collaborative approach to reimagine our shoreline. Sea2City brings together international and local practitioners in landscape architecture, urban planning, environmental sciences, and engineering with experience in planning and designing for sea level rise and coastal flooding. Sea2City will include three rounds of activities with public learning and design events and advisory group sessions and workshops, and outputs from Sea2City will be used to inform the next phase of the City’s Coastal Adaptation Plan.