ACAP Saint John director steps down with harbour cleanup done
The executive director of the Saint John environmental group ACAP (Atlantic Coastal Action Program) has stepped down after 11 years for a job in the private sector.
Tim Vickers says he has taken a position with the engineering firm Stantec, starting today, now that harbour cleanup is complete, "for all intents and purposes."
Harbour cleanup, particularly Marsh Creek on the city's east side, has been the group's flagship issue, said Vickers.
When he started with ACAP, the group was warning people to stay away from Marsh Creek because the city was dumping raw sewage into the creek, making it unsafe and smelly.
"I wasn't even aware that [cleanup] had been completed until myself and my co-worker, Graeme, started doing some sampling in Marsh Creek this spring and noticed you could actually see your feet when you walked out into it," he told CBC's Information Morning Saint John.
"The water was clear, it didn't smell bad and there was no toilet paper floating by. So by May, I realized, you know, something positive had happened to our ecosystem in the area. And shortly thereafter, the city confirmed, yes, they had been turning the outflows off."
In August, tests showed a 99 per cent reduction in fecal coliform bacteria in some areas of the creek, compared to last year.
The bacteria are used as an indicator for the potential presence of other disease-causing pathogens, such as amoebic dysentery and hepatitis.
ACAP will now turn its attention to improving access to Marsh Creek through proposed walking trails, under the leadership of Graeme Stewart-Robertson, said Vickers.
"We have a beautiful water system that runs through the heart of our city. Now we need to put some trail systems along it, active transportation links. Again, expand the wetlands so it can handle the storm water, so places like Glen Falls, McAllister aren't flooding on a regular basis. Let's actually invest in it now. That's where ACAP will put the bulk of their attention," said Vickers.
Other initiatives, such as tree planting, clean-ups and public education will also continue, he said.
Although harbour cleanup was the flagship issue for ACAP during Vickers's tenure, he says it only accounted for about five per cent of the group's work.
In 2006, all levels of government agreed on a $100-million cleanup of the Saint John Harbour. An estimated 200 swimming pools worth of raw sewage was being dumped in the waterway every day.
