The City of Vancouver recently held a design contest for manhole covers that was open to any artist. It was an opportunity for artists to flex their creative muscle, whether you were 6 years of age or 60. The winning artist has the opportunity to have their artwork immortalized on city streets for up to 100 years. How’s that for staying power? The aim of the contest was to solicit submissions that assisted in increasing awareness of our environmental impact on the water ways while at the same time distinguishing the two separate sewer systems, one being sanitary and one being storm/rainwater. Our sewers play in important part in keeping local waters healthy. Many everyday items such as fertilizers and pesticides used in gardens can harm the water’s ecosystem. Each year, the City of Vancouver replaces 14 kilometres of old sewer mains with two new pipes, one for stormwater run-off and one for sanitary. Upgrading sewers to two separate pipes will eliminate the overflow of sewage into Vancouver’s waterways. Wherever you see two sewer manholes in the streets you know that the neighbourhood’s sewer system is up to date and contributing to a greener Vancouver.
This year’s contest received over 1,000 submissions. The winners of the Manhole Cover Design Challenge will be announced on June 1st. All the submissions are viewable online or in person at the Interurban Gallery, 1 East Hastings Street, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. until June 8th. Also, until June 8th, you can vote for the People’s Choice award online. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced on June 10th. After viewing some of the submissions, which are quite amazing in their diversity, I must say I have an affinity for some prepared by a few 6 years old that ask that we keep our oceans clean. It will be interesting to see what the jury decides and what the people decide as there are so many great submissions. Don’t forget to vote for your People’s Choice by June 8th.
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