Edmonton residents tempted to dip their toes in the river can now get a better sense of just how clean or dirty that water is right here in the city.

The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper is testing for recreational water quality at three different sites and started posting results online three weeks ago. Water quality can change quickly in the swift-moving river, but the weekly updates are intended to at least give historic trends to help swimmers make wise decisions.

"Recreational users want to know why they should or shouldn't swim," said Hans Asfeldt, the main contact for the local environmental non-profit dedicated to water protection and education. His team is monitoring for E. coli at three sites: the Capilano boat launch near 50 Street, the Laurier boat launch near the Valley Zoo and the beach-like sandbar near the Fort Edmonton footbridge.

Water quality in the North Saskatchewan River naturally changes throughout the summer. The spring runoff and storm events make it silty and more likely to contain pollutants. Clear water is more likely to be clean.

Swimmers should also be aware swimming in water with a current can be more difficult than swimming in still water at a lake or pool. It's recommended to wear a life jacket and always swim in groups.

So far, the best water quality Asfeldt's team has found is at the Fort Edmonton footbridge sandbar, close to where the river first flows past the city boundary. They did one test there when the water looked clear and found water quality was almost pristine, he said.

A screen capture from the app Swim Guide showing part of the post for the sandbar near the Fort Edmonton footbridge.

The worst results were at the Laurier boat launch, where both tests failed to pass federal recreational water quality standards, he said. Asfeldt thinks that’s because of the Quesnell Bridge outfall. The runoff seems to hug the bank downstream, rather than mixing into the general flow, causing increased E. coli counts even when the water is clear.

The team also tested at the Capilano boat launch twice. It’s downstream from many Edmonton storm sewer outfalls with road runoff, not sewage. The test there failed when the water was silty. When the river water was clear, the site had higher E. coli counts than at the Fort Edmonton footbridge but it was still within the federal guidelines for recreational use.

Asfeldt is publishing full results online atsaskriverkeeper.com, and basic results on the Canada-wide swimguide.org and the app Swim Guide. Residents can find the app for both iPhone and Android devices with a dark blue icon of a swimmer (ignore the Lake Ontario label). There's a minimum two-day delay to get the samples tested and posted but the app will also show historic averages.

estolte@postmedia.com

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