WATCH ABOVE: There are questions about whether part of the ITU World Triathlon will be safe for athletes. As Quinn Ohler explains, algae was discovered in the lake.
EDMONTON — The City of Edmonton will provide an update on the condition of Hawrelak Park Lake – part of the ITU World Triathlon race – Friday at 1 p.m.
On Aug. 26, organizers said they had “all hands on deck” to make sure a lake that’s part of the Edmonton International Triathlon is safe for athletes.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued a blue-green algae bloom advisory for Hawrelak Park Lake on Wednesday. It discovered a blue-green algae bloom during water quality testing for the triathlon.
“From a health perspective, if it were held today, it wouldn’t be a smart idea,” said Dr. Chris Sikora with AHS.
“But we have some time to really think about this and take steps to … make the water quality safe.”
Officials with the Edmonton International Triathlon said they are working with the City of Edmonton and AHS.
“This is certainly not the first time that a body of water is deemed unsafe or unfit for athletes,” said Sheila O’Kelly, President and GM of ITU World Triathlon Edmonton.
“The contingency in that case is that we hold a duathlon. In the meantime, once we find out what our experts say we could possibly investigate other options in terms of the swim, but the entire event will not be cancelled.”
The race is scheduled to take place Sept. 5-6. Approximately 1,000 people are set to take part. In the end, safety is the top priority.
“We’re not going to put any athlete or anybody in the position of ‘well, we thought it was close so we did it.’ We’re not doing that,” said Don Lowry, chair of the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton.
The city is currently in talks to determine what the best course of action will be.
“There is a range of options,” explained Lowry, “as extreme as draining the lake, to very aggressive oxygenation, use of phosphorus and chemicals to react with them. I’m not an expert in terms of the dosages and the sequencing and that’s where Rob and the panel of experts take over.
“They will exhaust every measure and if we get to the end and we can’t – we can’t. But we’re a long ways from there.”
Rob Smyth with the city said “it’s all hands on deck… to determine how to move forward.”
He also explained the city places tremendous value on this event.
“This is absolutely critical. So we will do some heavy lifting… to move this forward.”
The city said it has never had blue-green algae in Hawrelak Park before.
AHS is asking anyone who lives near the lake or who is visiting to take the following precautions:
- Avoid all contact with blue-green algae bloom
- If contact with algae blooms occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible
- Do not swim or wade in any areas where blue-green algae is visible
- Do not let pets swim or wade in any areas where blue-green algae is visible
- Consider limiting human consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from the lake
The health authority said areas of Hawrelak Park Lake where blue-green algae blooms are not visible can still be used for recreation.
READ MORE: Edmonton big winner following ITU triathlon: organizers
People should never drink or cook with untreated water from any lake, including Hawrelak Park Lake, at any time.
AHS says boiling the water will not remove the toxins produced by blue-green algae. It says pets should not be allowed to drink water from Hawrelak Park Lake while this advisory is in place.
Blue-green algae blooms look like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of the water. It can be blue-green, greenish-brown, or pinkish-red in colour and often smells musty or grassy.
People who come into contact with it or swallow water containing blue-green algae could experience:
- Skin irritation or rash
- Sore throat
- Sore, red eyes
- Swollen lips
- Fever
- Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea
Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours of contact and resolve in one to two days.
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*NOTE: This article was originally published on Aug. 26 and was updated on Aug. 28.
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