Here's why 2 Vancouver splash parks were closed over a hot summer weekend

The closure of two Vancouver splash parks caused quite a stir on social media over the weekend, with elected officials sparring over the issue.

On Saturday, tweets circulated about the closure of the Lumberman's Arch spray pad in Stanley Park, with some criticizing the park board for turning off the water.

Some messages mistakenly suggested all water features were turned off in the city.

"I hear that the park board turned off all family friendly water features to conserve water and do more research on the environmental impacts of these tiny, kids water parks," wrote former city councillor George Affleck.

Affleck posted a series of other tweets, encouraging people to call the park board to have the water turned back on.

The criticism came days after Commissioner John Coupar's motion was brought to the park board, calling for the renewal of water features across the city that are either in disrepair or non-functional. That motion appeared to be focused on features like fountains.

Coun. Melissa De Genova also chimed in on Twitter, saying she appreciated Coupar "trying to get park board to turn the water on," adding that "every splash park in our city should be activated after the 2021 heat dome."

But Commissioner Dave Demers criticized the conversation online, saying spray parks weren't a part of that motion.

Regarding the closed splash parks, a spokesperson from the city explained just two were temporarily shut down over the weekend. In Stanley Park, the Lumberman's arch spray pad's opening was delayed "due to environmental impacts of the older design of the pad."

"The pad drains chlorinated drinking water directly to the sea and is in violation of the Federal Fisheries Act, as potable water can be toxic to fish," a statement from the city said.

"As a result, the federal government asked for the spray pad to be closed until this was remediated."

Staff have developed a "temporary solution" so the spray pad would open later this week, the city's statement said.

The second spray pad that wasn't open over the weekend was one at CRAB Park, which is undergoing upgrades along with new washroom installations. But the city said "global supply chain challenges" have led to that project being delayed too.