The Ottawa Police Dive Team is on the search for trash.
The group set up operations at the beautiful tourist location where the Ottawa River meets the locks of the Rideau Canal. What lies beneath the water’s surface is not so appealing.
“Other than garbage there's not much to see and unfortunately there's a lot of garbage,” says Const. Sonny Leveille, one of three divers taking the plunge.
The cleanup is in partnership with The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a program spearheaded by the Vancouver Aquarium.
“Things that people can dispose of responsibly but they do still end up on our shoreline. So there's still work to be done,” says Susan Debreceni, coordinator for the program.
Within an hour, divers dug up everything from beer bottles to a bicycle.
“It's upwards of $300 for throwing anything in the water,” says Const. Ralph. “So it's very surprising to me that the message is out there but people don't seem to listen to it.”
Police say the spot makes for an attractive dump site with high boat and pedestrian traffic during the summer months.
The operation drew a large group of spectators wondering what the police had discovered. When told about the trash that was left at the bottom of the river, many were shocked.
“You think right now people wouldn't litter because Canada's such a clean country and they try and keep it that way. It's really good what the police are doing,” says Mai Hanafy.
One treasure that was picked up was a wax sculpture of the head of an Asian woman.
Still, the catch of the day was an oil drum that required a pulley and every member of the dive team to pull out of the water.
With a report from CTV’s John Hua
