Watershed Watch is a founding member of the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable which promotes the long-term sustainability of the Coquitlam River watershed. Hailed by water management experts across B.C. as a model of collaboration and problem-solving, the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable includes representatives from a diverse cross-section of interests in the watershed including First Nations, all levels of government, business, education, recreation and community organizations.

Two issues the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable will focus on in 2021 are: stormwater management and an anti- littering/dumping campaign.

Coquitlam River at Colony Farms Park

One of the goals of the Lower Coquitlam Watershed Plan, created by the roundtable in 2015, is to develop a watershed-wide adaptive monitoring program for stormwater. In early 2021, the roundtable hosted presentations by representatives from the Kwikwetlem First Nation and the Cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam in order to share information on the status of their respective stormwater management plans and adaptive monitoring programs.

 The roundtable recently hosted a webinar: Building Resilience: Weathering the Stormwater, which featured Drs. Mitch Mivehchi and Joanna Ashworth, who spoke about how stormwater affects our watershed and what you can do to help. Watch the recorded webinar here.

If you live in the Coquitlam watershed, please tell the roundtable how to focus its activities by completing this poll (open to May 1st, 2021).

The Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable is also working to address the ongoing litter problem in our beautiful watershed with our brand new Waste Ban Campaign! During Earth Week (April 19th – 24th), the roundtable hosted a series of events:

• An education seminar with SUCCESS Immigration Services to inform newcomers to the watershed about the problems caused by litter and how they can help
• An incentivized litter clean-up program with homeless individuals or those facing homelessness, sponsored by local businesses and the Downtown PoCo BIA
• A public art installation created with litter from the clean-ups by Riverside Secondary School students.

Read about other ongoing initiatives of the roundtable here.