Diving for debris: Kingston divers pull garbage out of Lake Ontario on day of cleanup, awareness
Our water sources are some of the most important resources we have in the world, so divers and volunteers came together in Kingston to clean up Lake Ontario’s shoreline on Saturday.
It is all part of a global effort to clean up waterways.
Pulling a large truck tire from the water, volunteer Derek Evans says he is not sure how long it has been at the bottom of Lake Ontario. It’s filled with zebra mussels and mud, but the rubber has the potential to be a serious issue.
"This is at least 50 pounds," Evans says. "It definitely would be a lot of damage to the fish and the wildlife in the water."
Getting this tire, and other garbage, is part of a massive project called, 'Kingston Waters Clean Up.' More than 70 divers, kayakers and shorelines volunteers are bagging up garbage to keep it out of the water and drawing awareness to the issue, explains organizer Guillaume Courcy.
"Divers are sometimes the first and only witnesses of underwater pollution," Courcy says. "We’re going (down) there, we see it. Who’s going to pick it up if it’s not us?"
Courcy says Lake Ontario is a vital resource for the city, and garbage can be a serious problem.
"(Garbage) will sink down and it will start disintegrating, especially plastics," he says. "Plastics will create microplastics and this will get into the food chain."
Courcy says the debris can come from anywhere - from people tossing garbage, to tires that were used as bumpers on docks and boats.
In a few hours, more than two dozen tires have been pulled from the water. The larger items, along with smaller ones like bottles and cans, will be carefully recorded and weighed. That information will be passed along to a foundation called the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI AWARE), which tracks similar information around the world and lobbies governments and businesses about the issue.
In its 4th year, more than 1,400 kilograms of garbage has been pulled out of Lake Ontario in that time.
Michelle Clarabut, with the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, says creating an event the public can come to helps people witness what comes out of the water.
"Think about what’s in the water, think about what’s impacting the ecosystems we live in," Clarabut explains. "The Great Lakes are a fantastic fresh water resource, but they are threatened."
Volunteer diver Adele Leonard says the experience is great, but seeing what is down there is difficult.
"I’m seeing a lot of cans and bottles and stuff that people might take out for a night out near the water," she explains. "It’s kind of, I guess, pretty sad."
With no tally yet for what’s pulled out of the water Saturday, Courcy says anything is a success in his eyes.
"The more we pull out, the less there is out there."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
Was this the bug that stung you? Wasp sightings revive murder-hornet concerns; no detections confirmed
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Adding just 10% ultraprocessed foods to healthy diets may raise risk of cognitive decline, stroke
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
Cassie Ventura breaks her silence on 2016 video that showed her being physically assaulted by Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Cassie Ventura has shared a statement expressing her gratitude for the support she has received since CNN's publication of a 2016 surveillance video that showed her being physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
Bangkok hospital says most seriously injured from turbulence-hit flight need spinal operations
Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.