A new report suggests the accidental beach in the Cloverdale neighbourhood may not be safe for swimming right now.
The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper’s swim guide sampled water at the Cloverdale Beach on August 28 and said it failed to meet water quality standards.
“Testing is conducted for E. Coli, which is a bacteria indicator of fecal contamination,” the website said. “Federal recreational water quality guidelines advise caution when E. Coli levels exceed 200 colony forming units per 100 millilitres of water.”
The report also reminds Edmontonians the water quality can change quickly.
“Probably the main reason for fluctuating water quality is the fact that our storm water infrastructure is discharging into the river at different rates on different days, depending on precipitation levels,” Riverkeeper Water Literacy Manager Hans Ansfeldt told CTV News. “Throughout the season, we’ve found that most the beaches we’ve been testing at times will be within the federal guidelines, and at others will exceed them.”
The Accidental Beach has only been sampled twice, and it passed the first test.
The Riverkeeper monitors three other beaches every week: Capilano Park boat launch, Sir Wilfred Laurier Park boat launch, and the Fort Edmonton Footbridge sandbar. Those locations have passed the latest test.
