Under the River Side Golf Course, the closed signs have been up for years as the granular dirt trail slowly crumbles into the North Saskatchewan River.
Just south of that area, underneath the Forest Heights neighbourhood, it’s more of the same.
That particular area of erosion would have an “astronomical” cost to repair, says Juanita Spence, manager of river valley parks and facilities with the City of Edmonton.
“I know it can be frustrating to regular trail users when they see something that’s been closed for a couple of years,” Spence says.
The City of Edmonton’s infrastructure services department is responsible for the projects that address erosion in the River Valley.
READ MORE: Extensive trail closures impact Edmonton runners and cyclists
“It’s not our intent to address all naturally-occurring erosion and instability within the River Valley and ravine system,” Paul Lach with infrastructure services explains.
“If that was the case, we would need to address a multitude of sites along every reach of the River Valley and ravine system,” Lach adds.
Spence says that while their budget has increased year over year, her department can only afford three to six major erosion projects a year.
READ MORE: Trail damage unknown as North Saskatchewan River continues to run high
“In some cases, it does lead to permanent trail closures if we cannot efficiently resolve what the problem is,” Spence says.
The paved, gravel and granular multi-use trails are the city’s responsibility. But the smaller or less popular the trail – the less likely it is to be fixed.
“We’ll prioritize our sites for repair based on impact to city infrastructure such as park amenities such as trail, pedestrians or drainage infrastructure,” Lach explains.
It’s not surprising then to note that the city does not take responsibility for minor maintenance on the hundreds of single-track dirt trails throughout the River Valley system.
So if you’ve recently enjoyed a freshly-maintained dirt trail in Edmonton, you can probably thank a volunteer.
“Last year, it was 1,500 volunteer hours,” Joe Yurkovich, of the Adopt-a-Trail program, says.
Since 2010, a variety of clubs like the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance, have taken the trail maintenance work into their own hands.
These volunteers hack, pound and rake their way to a better connected dirt trail system – freeing up that much needed cash for the city to address major erosion issues.
“With our relationship with the city, we are allowed to do minor maintenance,” Yurkovich explains. “We’re allowed to do minor re-routes. But anything that’s major, we put in a project request with the city.”
Don’t let Yurkovich’s description of “minor” fool you. The labour-intensive work results in valuable erosion mitigation.
The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance hosted a workshop this weekend to help teach volunteers about proper techniques in trail maintenance.
“After we are finished, it looks like we haven’t really been here,” Yurkovich explains.
“We’ve done a little bit of modification and now the water is going to flow off the trail, it’s going to dry out quickly and now we have a sustainable trail.”
“It’s great, I mean this really enhances our quality of life. The City of Edmonton recognizes that,” Yurkovich adds.
For more information on how to get involved in the Adopt-a-Trail program, visit the EMBA Website.
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