Officials with the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton can breathe a sigh of relief after Alberta Health Services (AHS) declared the lake in Hawrelak Park safe for swimmers.
The announcement comes less than a week after AHS issued a blue-green algae advisory for the lake on August 26 – advising people against going into the lake, and to avoid contact with the algae blooms, which produce a toxin that can cause rashes and make people very ill if they’re exposed to it.
On Friday, organizers said they were ‘cautiously optimistic’ efforts to clean up the water had been successful.
According to officials, the most recent cell count of blue-green algae is “well below” the standard amount for recreational water events.
“The last few days have been a little nerve wracking, but with this news…that AHS shared with us…we couldn’t be happier,” said Rob Smyth with the City of Edmonton.
“This is a great day for YEG, for Alberta and for [the] triathlon to be able to stand here and say the team came together…everybody had a role to play and everybody executed...and as you heard AHS say…the race is on,” exclaimed race chair Don Lowry.
A team made up of workers from the City of Edmonton, the province and the University of Alberta worked together to clear up the water. Crews first scraped the algae off the water, then trapped it with barriers at the water’s edge.
Crews continue to disinfect the water daily with chlorine and plan to monitor the cell levels throughout the week.
According to health officials chlorine is always used to treat a lake before a race like this - but in this case, treatment was ramped-up.
The ITU World Triathlon is set to take place September 5 and 6.
With files from Dan Grummett
