Posted on April 20, 2021
Ongoing dredging will make it usable for more water activities, councillors told
The lake at Hawrelak Park will likely be cleaned up as part of the larger plan to rehabilitate the 54-year-old park, city councillors agreed at a committee meeting Wednesday.
The estimated $1.9-million clean-up would require ongoing dredging the bottom of the human-made lake, as well as re-landscaping the shoreline with taller plants and shrubs, according to a city report that presented the findings of a feasibility study.
The shallow waterway — it is 1.5 metres at its deepest point — is high in phosphorus, which leads to blue-green algae that makes it unsuitable for swimming and other water activities.
Coun. Ben Henderson said that as long as the city is doing a general rehabilitation of the entire park, it makes sense to also clean the lake — at least to the point where it can be used at least for kayaks and paddleboards.
“We wanted to make sure that this could be part of this work so we could get the lake as close to full use as possible, understanding that swimming is probably still — on a regular basis — out of reach,” he said.
Pascale Ladouceur, the city’s manager of infrastructure planning and design, said dredging will remove the lake’s bottommost layer, where a build-up of sediment causes the lake to become shallower.
The sediment is mainly caused by waterfowl activity, Ladouceur said in an interview Wednesday.
“There’s a direct correlation,” Ladouceur said. “The birds are the main contributor to both the phosphorus levels and the sediments.”
The International Triathlon Union has been using the lake since its first event in 2001, dredging it for the one-week event. But the lake was never intended for swimming, Ladouceur said.
“It was built as an ornamental pond and, prior to the triathlon event, it had never been used for swimming.”
Stephen Bourdeau, general manager of the World Triathlon Series Edmonton, expressed strong support for the lake cleanup.
“We’ve known for a long time, and we’ve been vocal for a long time, that the lake has greater potential beyond its current use,” Bourdeau told the committee. “[This] could provide a very wonderful experience for Edmontonians and the public and provide many more active living opportunities for various organizations.”
Built in 1967, the park is due for an infrastructure overhaul.
The city is gathering public feedback on potential changes to pathways and picnic areas. Still in the planning phases, the park project is estimated to cost $30 to $50 million over several years.
Henderson noted that the city is still determining whether the park would have to be closed while work is being done.
“It might be better to close it for one year and have it all done than to have this drag on for many years,” Henderson said.
City administration is expected to present a more specific timeline and work plan before the next capital budget phase in 2023-26.
