Saturday morning’s cleanup of the Katzie Slough has been cancelled due to the number of discarded needles in the area.
“Homelessness, needles and the fear of contact with fentanyl,” were the reasons for the cancellation, according to Lina Azeez, spokesperson for Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
Azeez said Pitt Meadows city hall made her aware of its concerns – that exposing volunteers to dirty needles could result in legal action.
The plan was to spend the morning removing litter and debris from the slough 0n a stretch near the Golden Ears Bridge, where the waterway is a virtual garbage dump.
“They cautioned us that the area there was quite bad,” said Azeez, referring to discarded needles. “The city was very concerned about liability and insurance.”
Homeless people are living under the bridge, and Azeez was well aware of the issue. During the last cleanup two years ago volunteers found 32 discarded needles.
Then on Wednesday, students from Pitt Meadows elementary school were visiting the blind channel area of the slough, and they discovered two needles. That sparked concern from the city.
Azeez has never been on an urban cleanup in the Lower Mainland where needles weren’t found, she said.
“Unfortunately, it is a very normal thing to find.”
She did her best to prepare for the problem.
“I actually bought a naloxone kit and was trained in how to use it,” she said, referring to the opioid antidote used when drug users overdose.
She has tongs and a sharps container to safely pick up and store any needles found, and even did a site visit earlier in the week, to make sure there weren’t too many in the area of the cleanup.
“There was plenty there for people to clean up without worrying about syringes,” she said.
Azeez called it a social problem colliding with an environmental issue.
“Neglected waterways are areas where neglected people go.”
She was disappointed to cancel the event, which is both ecologically a benefit to the waterway, and also a public awareness exercise that highlights the need to restore the slough to a more natural state.
“If we’re not going to do it, who is going to clean up the slough?” she asked. “I hope someone cleans up that area.”
It’s likely not the last cleanup for Watershed Watch. The group plans to clarify the issue with a lawyer.
“I understand the need to be cautious, but I don’t want anything to be blown out of proportion.”
