Accidental Beach

Managed by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

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Also known as Cloverdale Beach, Accidental Beach is a phenomenon that formed right in the heart of downtown Edmonton during the construction of the Tawatina LRT bridge.

The beach stretches the length of several city blocks and boasts a view of downtown Edmonton. There is limited parking in a residential area along 98A Avenue and a challenging, unmarked footpath access that is extremely steep. Note that river currents constantly change the condition of the beach and that there is ongoing construction immediately upstream.

Cloverdale Beach first appeared in the summer of 2017. Large rock jetties have been placed in the river for bridge construction and the jetty on the southmost riverbank has created a large backwater in which a large amount of sediment was deposited during spring freshet. When river levels are moderate to low, the large stretch of sand is exposed as a beautiful beach right in downtown Edmonton! The LRT bridge is scheduled to be complete in 2020, at which time the rock jetties will be removed and the beach will be washed away.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

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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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper monitors two freshwater locations along the North Saskatchewan River in the Edmonton region. Water quality samples at this beach are collected by North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper and processed by a third party accredited environmental lab, Element.

Water is monitored for Enterococci, which is a bacterial indicator of fecal contamination. The tests are conducted once a week throughout the month of September. Enterococcus is measured using membrane filtration. High Enterococcus levels can indicate fecal contamination which poses a risk to human health. The Canadian Guidelines for Recreational Water Quality recommends caution when waters exceed a geometric mean concentration (minimum of five samples) 35 Enterococci colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL or a single-sample maximum concentration of 70 Enterococci CFU/100 mL.

Five samples are collected at each beach and submitted to Element Laboratory for processing. A spatial geometric mean will be calculated and interpreted against the guideline. Results are published as soon as they are available, usually within 48 hours of sampling.

A beach is marked green when geometric mean results are below 35 Enterococci CFU/100mL.

A beach is marked red when geometric mean results are above 35 Enterococci CFU/100mL.

A beach is marked grey when no data is available.

Enterococci levels are only one of many parameters that should be carefully considered before entering the water. The data available on Swim Guide reflects water quality at the time of sampling only.

Questions regarding the Edmonton Community Monitoring Program can be directed to sadie@swimdrinkfish.ca.

Water Quality Graph