Days after officials with Alberta Health Services issued a health advisory for the lake in Hawrelak Park, leaving a major sporting event to scramble for another option, the City said they believe efforts to clean up the water could be successful.

On Wednesday, Alberta Health Services issued a blue-green algae advisory for the lake located in Hawrelak Park – advising people against going into the lake, and to avoid contact with algae blooms.

The announcement left organizers of the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton scrambling with a week and a half to go before the event.

“The blue-green algae situation is a very recent development, it developed very very rapidly,” biologist Mike Jenkins said.

However, on Friday, officials said they were ‘cautiously optimistic’ efforts to clean up the water had been successful.

“Everything that can be done is being done, and [its] early days, it looks good,” Race Chair Don Lowry said.

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 trapping it with barriers at the water’s edge.

“This particular technique, we already had a lot of equipment and supplies put in place,” Jenkins said.

“It seems like it was fairly successful to move a good portion of the blue-green algae to that part of the lake,” Rob Smyth with the City of Edmonton said.

Crews will then disinfect the water using sodium hypochlorite.

If the water is not safe by the time race weekend arrives, officials said the event will become a “du-athlon” with only running and cycling, no swimming.

Organizers said they expect another update on the water by Monday, with the final call set for Friday.

The ITU World Triathlon Edmonton is set for September 5 and 6.

With files from Bill Fortier