Sylvan Lake Provincial Park Beach

Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

Sylvan Lake was originally given the Cree name "kinabik" or Snake Lake because of the abundance of Garter snakes in the area. This was changed to Sylvan (latin "of forests") in 1903.

Sylvan Lake Provincial Park Beach is on Lakeshore Drive in the Town of Sylvan Lake. This wonderful, sandy beach with clear, shallow waters has all of the amenities required for a day at the beach within walking distance. This is THE beach for Central Alberta. There are grassy areas, picnic tables, volleyball nets and great people watching opportunities. The area has been upgraded with better parking and day use facilities. The boat launch and marina are close by on the southwest end of the beach. Arrive early on weekends for best parking and beach spots. This is a summer hotspot suitable for anyone. The safe, shallow waters are ideal for swimming. The lake is popular for recreational use such as boating, water skiing, and fishing. The Sylvan Lake Stewardship Association has been very active in promoting and preserving the clear, clean waters of Sylvan Lake.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is essential right now. Follow the advice of the health experts. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Heading to the beach should only be considered an option if social distancing practices can be followed. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter the efforts to curb the virus’ spread.

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization public resource on COVID-19.

Water Quality

No data available
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample. North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available.

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Current Weather

14°C

Cloudy

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Alberta Health Services (AHS) monitors freshwater beaches across the province of Alberta. Water samples at this beach are collected by AHS staff and processed by Alberta Public Laboratories.

Beaches are sampled on varying frequencies for Enterococcus and for cyanobacteria and microcystins (blue-green algae) during the summer months.

Water quality is monitored in accordance with the proposed Alberta Safe Beach Protocol, using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Recreational Water Quality Criteria.

Enterococcus is measured using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) based molecular method of testing recreational water. High Enterococcus levels can indicate fecal contamination which poses human health risks. Guidelines recommend that a water quality advisory be posted when the tests demonstrate calibrator cell equivalents (cce) surpassing 1,280/100ml.

When a Water Quality Advisory is issued, a notice is erected at the beach indicating that the location is unfit for swimming or bathing. In addition, a Water Quality Advisory is issued through the AHS website, local media.
An advisory is rescinded once water quality meets the above standards.

In addition to Enterococcus, AHS monitors blue-green algae throughout the swimming season. Algal blooms are monitored through visual observation and through testing for cyanobacteria and microcystins (toxins produced by blue-green algae).

AHS issues a Blue-Green Algae Advisory when a bloom is identified. Advisories are posted online to https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/news/bga.aspx, circulated by local media. Appropriate signage is posted around the water body (public beaches, access points, campgrounds, etc). These advisories remain in place for the duration that the health risk persists.

Swim Guide posts all advisories (enterococcus and blue green algae) that are announced. However Swim Guide is not able to share monitoring data for Alberta beaches on an ongoing basis as AHS does not share water quality test results with the public. Therefore, the swim icon will appear grey for monitored beaches due to a lack of public access to AHS recreational water quality data. Advisories will appear on the beach page as a special status red, with an ad.

Water Quality Graph