Capilano Park – Boat Launch

Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

CAUTION: a green status may not mean it is safe to swim due to quickly changing river conditions.

Capilano Park boasts a popular boat launch just downstream of the Edmonton downtown core. On any given summer day you will find several boat trailers parked on the road down to the launch. The launch is on the East end of Capilano Park and borders directly onto Gold Bar Park where there are several kilometres of hiking trails (and cross-country ski trails in the winter months).

There is an abundance of green space, a picnic shelter with washrooms, and a paved parking lot just up the road from the boat launch. It is also immediately adjacent to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant and not far down the hill from several industrial refineries.

Some trails are designated off leash areas and there is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river just above the boat launch. A second pedestrian bridge crosses the river further downstream at the other end of Gold Bar Park.

Directions:
Follow 50 St north all the way until you reach the river.

WATER QUALITY

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on . North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

Report Pollution

MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

Water quality samples are collected by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper and processed by a third party environmental lab, Exova Group. Testing is conducted for E. coli, which is a bacterial indicator of fecal contamination. Federal recreational water quality guidelines advise caution when E. coli levels exceed 200 colony forming units per 100 millilitres of water.

Swimmers are advised that E. coli levels are only one of many parameters that should be carefully considered before entering the water. The E. coli data shared here is intended to serve as a helpful reference point and Swim Guide users are reminded that water quality changes quickly in moving water. As such, the data available on Swim Guide reflects water quality at the time of sampling only. In addition to E. coli levels, several other factors can affect the level of risk inherent to swimming activities. These include but are not limited to: flow levels, turbidity, intensity of recent rainfall, runoff volumes, and land use activities upstream.

In addition to water quality considerations, other physical risks are inherent to river activities including powerful currents, floating debris (such as large logs), swimming ability, and powered watercraft moving at high speeds. Because swimming and all water recreation activities involve inherent risks, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper cannot assume liability for any injuries or damages suffered as a result of water recreation activities.

North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper is a strong advocate for many forms of river recreation including swimming and aims to provide quality information that can help prepare river users for safe and enjoyable recreation.

The following is an outline of the protocols that support our river water quality monitoring program.

Five 100 ml samples are collected each beach and submitted to Exova Group for processing. Membrane filtration is used to calculate the number of E. coli colony forming units per 100 ml of water (CFU/100ml) in each sample. Five samples from each beach are used to calculate the average (geometric mean) and a beach is posted red if the result exceeds 200 CFU/100ml. If the result is less than or equal to 200 CFU/100ml, the beach is posted green.

Results are published as soon as they are available, usually within 48 hours of sampling.

Questions regarding these protocols can be directed to Hans Asfeldt at www.saskriverkeeper.ca/?page_id=287

WATER QUALITY GRAPH