City of Edmonton officials announced Wednesday that the lake in Hawrelak Park had been cleared of blue-green algae, ahead of this weekend’s ITU World Triathlon event.
In a statement released Wednesday, the City said testing had confirmed the area of the lake where the triathlon is scheduled to be held had been deemed safe for the swimming event.
Officials said blue-green algae is still in the lake water, but the concentration of cells had been reduced enough that it did not pose a health risk to athletes.
Back on August 12, Alberta Health Services issued a blue-green algae advisory for the lake.
Triathlon organizers said they would start treating the water earlier than planned to deal with the algae blooms.
The City said treatments and testing will continue through the event weekend to ensure the water is safe, and maintained for all the athletes.
While the lake has been deemed safe for the event, officials said the advisory remains in place.
The ITU World Triathlon event is scheduled for September 2 to 4.
