Residents Say Leaving Vancouver Fountains Dry to Save Water Ignores Health Benefits

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One of the joys of life for Charlotte Tarver is riding her electric wheelchair around the corner from her long-term care home to enjoy a cool summer breeze and socialize a bit with the neighbors in a mini park in your West End neighborhood.

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But this year it’s missing one of the park’s usual attractions, a 1980s stone block water fountain that used to spout water.

She loved its occasional cool mist, the soothing sounds of the water, and how it attracted birds, bees, and butterflies, as well as the laughing, happy local children.

“I love to watch the birds and sit here and read,” he said. The water fountain was an incentive for her to get out of her room and go to the park, where she would socialize with friends and meet new people, especially when it is hot in her room.

But water hasn’t flowed into the park at Haro and Bute streets since it was closed in October, and Tarver is among the residents pleading with the city to turn on the water.

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“When it’s dry, it feels so dry down here,” he said. “The park is starting to look shabby.”

On Thursday, the city posted a sign in city parks announcing that a city statute requires all non-recirculating water fountains to be closed, for the sake of water conservation.

“Millions of gallons of potable water have been used annually for these direct flow features going directly to the sewer, with no reuse or recycling, which is in violation of city statute 4848,” said a city spokeswoman, who did not No. I want to be named, in an email. She said there are 25 such fountains in the entire city.

But advocates for three in the West End said the city ignores its health, mental and social benefits. They say they support the conversation about water during a drought, but point out that the reservoirs are in good shape this year.

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“They (city and park officials) have lost their common sense and are being overzealous,” said James Oakes.

“I live here, but I am thinking more about the elderly. There were four wheelchairs parked here the other day and it was sad to see there was no fountain. They are in the last stage of their life and they cannot sit here and listen to the soothing sounds of the water.”

“It’s conservation extremism without really looking at the health benefits, which are many,” he said. “They help create a cool environment, along with the shade trees.”

When the fountains were still dry in April 2021, some residents called the 311 complaint line and the water was turned on until October. This year, his requests have been ignored, Oakes said.

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He and Tarver said seniors and others with mobility issues in the area have no way to travel to children’s water parks in Coal Harbor or English Bay, both several blocks away.

The city said it is also required to comply with the Metro Vancouver plan to conserve drinking water.

The city is evaluating non-recirculating water sources to see which ones can be retrofitted.

The fountains should not be left to deteriorate and accumulate litter until those plans are developed, said Anthony Norfolk, past president of the Community Arts Council of Vancouver and the Roedde House Preservation Society. Roedde House is part of Barclay Heritage Square in the West End, where there is a non-working fountain.

“It’s amazing how the fountains draw people in,” he said.

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Water appeals to humans and animals because “it’s in our evolutionary DNA” to seek it out for its cooling effects and other benefits that contribute to our well-being, said Paige Campbell, a West End resident who sits on the West End Community Committee. flat facing the sea.

“We know we feel better about water and that’s why people care about fountains,” said Campbell, who studied urban planning.

Those advocating turning on the fountains are mostly older, but 14-year-old Ewan Streit said he’d like to see the water flow. left dry, “He looks dead, he looks horrible.”

Last year, park board commissioner John Coupar introduced a motion asking staff to provide a timeline and cost estimates for reconditioning the fountains.

“Water fountains should become an essential part of public infrastructure and be added to the exterior of all public buildings, transit stations, etc,” Coupar said in his motion.

The motion has been deferred until 2023, meaning it will be heard by a new park board, to be elected in November. Coupar will not work again.