The City of Kamloops is working to develop a new city-wide shoreline cleanup initiative.
Put forward by Councillor Mike O’Reilly, he says historically low water levels mean there is a chance to complete a thorough cleanup on some of the roughly 110 kilometres of shoreline in Kamloops.
“To me, this is a once in a lifetime or once in a generational opportunity at this point for how low the water levels will go for us to clean up areas that may not get the opportunity to be cleaned up for a very long time.”
O’Reilly’s motion – which garnered unanimous support from council – calls on staff to develop the framework for the program, including finding ways to engage neighbourhood associations. It also asks staff to report back with with an appropriate time for the clean-up to take place.
“That’s the basis of this first recommendation. It’s asking staff to figure out how the best way to engage the community is, and how the city can facilitate a city-wide beach cleanup whether it be streams, rivers, or creeks,” O’Reilly said.
“Cleaning up beaches or waterways is not an easy process, and I believe DFO needs to be involved. There will need to be some CSO work involved, just based on dangers of certain areas, and CP Rail as well in the Valleyview area.”
O’Reilly is also calling for Adopt-A-Beach program similar to the Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A-Trail program – once the initial clean-up has been completed – so the shorelines can be maintained.
“This, I believe, will be a simple program for staff to implement,” O’Reilly said