‘Accidental Beach’ may inspire respect for river, advocate says

The new-found love for the North Saskatchewan River brought on by Edmonton’s “Accidental Beach” may create a movement to keep the water clean.

That’s according to Hans Asfeldt, manager of water literacy with the North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper.

“Before (Accidental Beach), most people didn’t realize that our city’s stormwater and combined sewer discharges sometimes make it unsafe to swim,” Asfeldt said in a news release Friday.

“What we’re seeing now is that the more people fall in love with the river, the more we are willing to make the necessary improvements to our infrastructure that will ensure clean water not only at (Accidental Beach), but also for communities downstream.”

The Health Canada Standard is 200 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 mL of water or below, to limit the contraction of waterborne illnesses to one to two per cent, or 10 to 20 illnesses per 1,000 swimmers.

Accidental Beach, also known as Cloverdale Beach, had a higher level of E. coli than previous samples at 746 CFU/100ml on Sept. 5, compared to 238 CFU/100ml on Aug. 29 and 123 CFU/100ml on Aug. 22.

“Water quality in the North Saskatchewan River has improved drastically in recent decades, but there is still work to be done, Asfeldt said.

“But when conditions are right and with the appropriate precautions, the river can offer excellent opportunities for swimming as well as a variety of recreation activities.”

The group also monitors quality on the Fort Edmonton Footbridge Sandbar, Laurier Park Boat Launch and the Capilano Park Boat Launch.