Dragon Boat Festival goes on two days after sewer main break spills effluent into False Creek

Competitors of all ages were at Vancouver’s False Creek Saturday for the kickoff of the Dragon Boat Festival.

This comes just two days after a sewer main broke and spilled effluent into the creek.

Last Thursday, Metro Vancouver confirmed the main broke in Olympic Village, spreading the foul smelling water in the area.

But Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) gave the green light to this weekend’s festivities after analyzing the creek’s water samples.

John, one of the competitors in the event, says he doesn’t think the water’s too bad. He says it’s nothing a shower can’t fix.

“You just don’t want to get in your mouth, that’s all,” John said.

“Yeah, everyone is worried about it a little bit, but don’t forget this, this water does move a little bit. So, it will flush itself.”

But others, like Alexandra, say they are concerned about the break.

In her home country of Nicaragua, she says sewage is a big problem.

“That contaminated our lakes since the 50s,” she said.

“They’re trying to clean it. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s not a place that you can swim or do aquatic sport.”

VCH says they are monitoring the water quality as they try to identify the contaminate that may have entered the creek.