As summer heat heats up, faucets are turned off at two Vancouver splash pads – BC | Globalnews.ca

As the summer heat heats up, the taps have been turned off at two popular Vancouver splash pads.

According to the Vancouver Parks and Recreation Board, the CRAB Park playground in Portside is temporarily closed for electrical upgrades that have been delayed due to global supply chain challenges.

Meanwhile, Lumberman’s Arch Spray Park in Stanley Park has yet to open.

“The platform drains chlorinated drinking water directly into the sea and violates the Federal Fisheries Act, as drinking water can be toxic to fish,” read a statement from the park board explaining the closure.

“As a result, the federal government requested that the spray platform be closed until this is remedied.”

In an interview, park board commissioner John Coupar said the board has gotten “a lot of calls” from families disappointed by the closures. He also called the federal government’s claim that drinking water can be harmful to fish “pretty remarkable.”

“I think people are becoming too careful and depriving children of a couple of months of water running into the bay,” the mayoral candidate told Global News.

“It’s not that much water. I think we have to bring the fun back to Vancouver.”

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Both Coupar and Vancouver County. Sarah Kirby-Yung raised the importance of water games as a free and accessible activity in an expensive city.

“As we see increasing weather problems and higher heat domes, people need to stay cool,” Kirby-Yung added.

If the closures had been better communicated to the public, some parental frustration might have been avoided, he said.

The Vancouver Parks Board said its staff have found a temporary solution to fix the environmental issue at Lumberman’s Arch Spray Park and that it will reopen later this week.

A date for the reopening of the CRAB Park water play area was not provided.

To comply with a city statute and Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water Conservation Plan, the board also said it has closed several non-recirculating water facilities, such as aesthetic water fountains, “that use millions of liters of drinking water.” treated every year. ”

“We are currently evaluating the possibilities of retrofitting these fountains to use less water in the future,” wrote Andrew Burns, communications specialist for the park board.

A list of Vancouver’s other 12 open welcome platforms is available on their website.