Why swimmable, drinkable, fishable water matters to our new COO, Kathryn Gold

January 24, 2022 - Growing up in Hamilton, it was commonly perceived that the waters of the harbour were not safe to swim in, drink from, or fish in. Its ‘dirty’ reputation caused generations to withdraw and become inattentive to the staggering amounts of industrial pollution that were destroying it on a daily basis.

As I got older, I learned about Randle Reef, the largest coal tar deposit in the Great Lakes. I was outraged that we had allowed our most precious freshwater resource to be so misused and abused. Who let this happen? And why did it take so long for the cleanup to begin?

I am encouraged by the progress that has been made in the Hamilton Harbour over the past two decades, but there is still much work to be done.

Everyone needs swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters. Water is essential to life; polluting our waters pollutes us as well. I imagine a world where freshwater is valued and protected by all.

In my travels to other parts of the world, I have witnessed people drinking clean water directly from the environment. While hiking in New Zealand, I met others on the trail who weren’t even carrying water because they were drinking straight from the streams. While swimming in Lake Balaton (Hungary), I heard the locals boasting about how efforts in recent years have cleaned up the water so much that some people drink directly from it.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our waters in Canada were so clean that we, too, could drink from them at the source? As time passed, I realized I could not stand by as the most extensive surface freshwater system on the planet was degraded. 

During my masters research, I focused on water conservation and the necessity of protecting this vital resource. After graduating, I became the Water Program Coordinator at Green Venture in Hamilton. There, I engaged with the community to impress upon them the importance of keeping our waters clean. I taught people about combined sewer overflows, what they are (raw sewage entering waterbodies), and why they happen (usually heavy rainfall or snowmelt). We worked with schools to “Depave Paradise” by ripping up asphalt and planting rain gardens to help clean the rainwater and prevent flooding. 

Like countless others during the pandemic, I visited my local waters to find peace and solace in difficult times. I took up stand up paddleboard yoga to connect with the water and nature. I have always found water to be calming and rejuvenating. Unfortunately, there were times that our classes were cancelled because of poor water quality and I couldn't go to the lake for my mental and physical well being.

We are so lucky to have access to the Great Lakes, this vast, beautiful, invaluable resource that people come from all over the world to experience. I believe we have a duty to ourselves, to all Canadians, and to everyone on this planet, to protect them.

In a perfect world, our waters would be valued enough that there would be no need to clean them up—they would never have been degraded in the first place.

That’s why I am so glad to be part of an organization that restores and protects our waters through empowering communities. I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with Indigenous water stewards who have been safeguarding the lakes for centuries. I am excited to connect people with water through community science and communications technology. I am eager to join the movement of people creating a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future for all.