Capilano Park – Boat Launch

Edmonton, Alberta
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

Capilano Park – Boat Launch is sampled weekly from July 18th to October 1st

SOURCE INFORMATION

North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper monitors 3 locations in this region on a weekly basis. The North Saskatchewan River runs from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to its confluence with the South Saskatchewan River near Prince Alberta. The river is highly popular for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, power boating, fishing, and in some places swimming too.

Water quality tests are conducted in-house and by a third party environmental lab, Exova. Testing is conducted for E. Coli, which is a bacteria indicator of fecal contamination. Recreational water quality guidelines are established federally and advise caution when acute bacteria levels exceed 400 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.

In-house lab:
Five sets of triplicate 1 millilitre samples are taken at each location. Coliscan easygel method is used to process the samples within 48 hours. Triplicates are averaged and the geometric mean is calculated for the five sets of samples. A beach is posted red if the geometric mean exceeds 400 CFU per 100 millilitres of water. If a beach is equal or below this threshold it is posted green.

Third party environmental lab (Exova):
Five 100 millilitre samples are submitted for each beach. Membrane filtration is used to calculate the number of E. coli colony forming units per 100 millilitres of water. A beach is posted if the geometric mean exceeds 400 CFU per 100 millilitres of water.

The private lab, Exova, is currently used in order to help establish the NSRK's in house lab. The data from Exova is currently used for our official results. 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

Capilano Park – Boat Launch

Edmonton, Alberta
Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper
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:   
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.

  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Capilano Park – Boat Launch is sampled weekly from July 18th to October 1st

SOURCE INFORMATION

North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper monitors 3 locations in this region on a weekly basis. The North Saskatchewan River runs from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to its confluence with the South Saskatchewan River near Prince Alberta. The river is highly popular for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, power boating, fishing, and in some places swimming too.

Water quality tests are conducted in-house and by a third party environmental lab, Exova. Testing is conducted for E. Coli, which is a bacteria indicator of fecal contamination. Recreational water quality guidelines are established federally and advise caution when acute bacteria levels exceed 400 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.

In-house lab:
Five sets of triplicate 1 millilitre samples are taken at each location. Coliscan easygel method is used to process the samples within 48 hours. Triplicates are averaged and the geometric mean is calculated for the five sets of samples. A beach is posted red if the geometric mean exceeds 400 CFU per 100 millilitres of water. If a beach is equal or below this threshold it is posted green.

Third party environmental lab (Exova):
Five 100 millilitre samples are submitted for each beach. Membrane filtration is used to calculate the number of E. coli colony forming units per 100 millilitres of water. A beach is posted if the geometric mean exceeds 400 CFU per 100 millilitres of water.

The private lab, Exova, is currently used in order to help establish the NSRK's in house lab. The data from Exova is currently used for our official results. 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



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