Cull of invasive goldfish using chemical treatment stopped at west Edmonton stormwater pond

A stormwater pond in the west Edmonton neighbourhood of Glastonbury. (CTV News Edmonton)

Work to eradicate invasive goldfish from a west Edmonton stormwater pond has been put on hold after nearby residents voiced concerns over the use of a pesticide to do it.

Epcor, the Edmonton-based utility that manages the city's drainage system, has halted the use of a chemical treatment including rotenone to cull the invasive species in Glastonbury after some people asked the provincial body to stop using it, Epcor told CTV News Edmonton in a statement on Tuesday.

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Epcor had informed residents in Glastonbury, which sits west of Anthony Henday Drive and south of Whitemud Drive, it had hired a contractor to treat water in the pond at Guinevere Park with rotenone. The utility says it has successfully used the treatment including rotenone, which it calls harmless to humans, over the last five years.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA) requires Epcor to keep stormwater facilities free from invasive species such as goldfish to prevent spread to waterways such as the North Saskatchewan River.

In literature sent to people living in Glastonbury this summer, Epcor called rotenone "not harmful to humans," a claim some residents say is false.

Epcor says the AEPA has asked the utility to pause the use of the treatment at the pond after they met with a group of Glastonbury residents on Monday. It said residents asked the AEPA and Epcor to find "an alternative management approach that could be implemented next year" in Glastonbury.

"We expect AEPA to respond with their decision in the near future," Epcor said.