Metro Vancouver has been keeping a close eye on how COVID-19 is affecting its services, and has launched a new dashboard which allows everyone to see real-time impacts in several different service areas. Up-to-date information is available on regional parks visits, levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) measured at air quality monitoring stations, and demands on liquid waste, solid waste, and drinking water systems.
The data shows that core utility services are generally experiencing similar levels of demand to previous years. In terms of air quality, monitoring stations located in urban areas are seeing decreases in NO2 due to lower emissions from traffic sources. In May, the Burnaby Kensington Monitoring Station saw an astounding 34% reduction in NO2.
The most dramatic impacts have been seen in the regional parks system. For the past two months, there have been over 60% more visits compared to the same months last year. Overall, the regional parks system has already seen over 6 million visitors in 2020. In an effort to keep parks operating safely, regional parks staff have had over 120,000 interactions to encourage physical distancing.
You can take a closer look at all of this data here.
