The polluted waters of False Creek could be cleaned up and turned into an urban surf park, according to an ambitious proposal from a Metro Vancouver company.

The project being pitched by Reviver Sport+Entertainment, dubbed CitySurf, includes a new public beach that would be installed near Science World and a pay-to-use pool where surfers could catch man-made waves.

“Technology has advanced to the point now where man-made waves are becoming, literally, the wave of the future. We are able to control the wave height and regularity to create an enjoyable surfing experience from novices and kid’s camps all the way up to elite level surfers,” CEO Philip Davis says on the Burnaby company’s website.

Surf parks have been growing in popularity in recent years, but Oasis Surf in Montreal is the only one to launch in Canada so far.

And being indoors, that facility hasn’t had to deal with pollution, which Reviver admits is one of the biggest hurdles to its project. Swimming isn’t recommended in False Creek, and Vancouver Coastal Health advises anyone who comes into contact with the water to shower afterward.

Last summer, testing revealed E. coli levels nearly six times over the safe limit in the eastern side of the inlet.

To deal with the pollution issue, Reviver said its surf park would be enclosed by a floating perimeter structure that would filter the waters of False Creek through “a porous membrane” to improve the quality.

“We’re proposing to create a world-class city amenity, in an underutilized waterway, while tackling a recognized environmental issue in a city that promotes itself as one of the greenest on the planet,” Davis said.

The water would also be geo-thermally warmed, according to the proposal.

Reviver said its project, which is in the very early stages, has already been endorsed by WaveParks Canada, the Canadian Surfing Association and Surfing Canada, and the company has contacted the Vancouver Park Board to discuss the concept further.

Davis said they are going public to spark interest in the project and get feedback from the community.