The City of Edmonton will conduct a safety review of all stormwater ponds after the death of a 14-year-old girl who was pulled out of a northside pond over the weekend.
Khrystyna Maksymova and her 11-year-old sister were walking a dog near a pond in the area of 82 Street and Crystallina Nera Way on Saturday afternoon.
The dog went into the water and Maksymova went in after it but got caught up in the mud and reeds and wasn’t able to make it out.
READ MORE: 14-year-old girl dies after being pulled from north Edmonton pond
On Monday, city crews visited the pond to visually inspected a number of things, including the water level, vegetation, water quality, bank erosion, signage and the drainage operations equipment. The city said all were determined to be normal.
The city will now conduct a review of the more than 180 stormwater ponds to determine if any additional safety measures are required, in hopes of preventing future tragedy.
The items to be reviewed include:
- Clarity of content on safety signs
- Messaging on safety signs
- Placement and number of safety signs at each pond
- Public education
Chris Buchanan, president of the Lago Lindo Community League, said he has been in contact with the city about the review and has asked that any findings be made available to the community league.
“We are eager to see what findings and recommendations may or may not be included in that review, as we want to know the community we live in is safe,” Buchanan wrote in an email to Global News.
The whole community was shaken by news of Maksymova’s death. A family friend said the teen was a strong swimmer.
The Lifesaving Society of Alberta wanted to remind people that drownings can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone.
“There’s a fallacy out there that, ‘If I know how to swim I won’t drown.’ Our statistics and our data tell us that swimmers do drown,” Barbara Costache said
“We are finding a very high incidence of drowning this year and it often just depends on certain circumstances like the weather, the activities,” she continued. “It’s hard to pinpoint one layer of protection or one key reason.”
Watch below: Khrystyna Maksymova was pulled from an Edmonton pond on Saturday afternoon, but died on early Sunday. Sarah Kraus reports.
The city’s stormwater ponds are inspected, on average, 12 times per year to make sure they meet all current safety and operating standards, the city said.
There is no timeline as to when the city’s stormwater pond review will be complete.
ECPOR, which will take over drainage services from the city in September, said it will monitor the review and take note of anything that might emerge from the city’s findings.