The Accidental Beach in Cloverdale may have some competition in the coming years.
The city is looking at five other potential sites on the North Saskatchewan River that may be able to accommodate a permanent urban beach.
In a report released Thursday, the city shows the pros and cons of the Cloverdale beach and five other sites.
Each site was evaluated for environmental and operational criteria including bank and sandbar stability, land use and water quality, as well as availability of washrooms and picnic facilities.
Big Island – The farthest site from downtown Edmonton has excellent or very good size and stability of its sandbar and water quality but doesn’t have amenities such as washrooms, parking and picnic areas and ease of access.
Terwillegar Park – Excellent or good in almost every category including vehicle parking and access to site but gets a failing grade for its sandbar stability.
Fort Edmonton Footbridge – Located southwest of Fort Edmonton Park, the sandbar has excellent size and is close to the bank but the site doesn’t have adequate parking.
Big Island in southwest Edmonton’s ward 5 is the farthest from the downtown core. (City of Edmonton)
Cloverdale Beach – The home of the Accidental Beach has excellent sandbar size and proximity to bank. Good or fair rating for parking, access to site and picnic areas.
Capilano Bridge – The area gets a failing grade for the size of its sandbar, distance to the bank and amenities. Fair grade for sandbar stability and water quality.
Rundle Park – This site gets a thumbs up for sandbar and bank stability, as well as amenities but is too close to environmentally significant areas.
Cloverdale Beach, left, is the city’s term for the accidental beach that appeared out of the blue in 2017 because of LRT construction berms. (City of Edmonton)
In the wake of the Accidental Beach’s popularity last year, councillors asked city staff to come back in the spring with a list of potential sites for a permanent beach.
Coun. Bev Esslinger said she’s open to exploring the options and thinks councillors will ask staff a lot of questions at the next committee meeting on why the locations were chosen.
“The more central would be the best,” she said. “People want access to the river. They like having a beach so I think that’s important and I think it’s worthwhile for us to pursue it.”
Risks and requirements
If councillors are serious about establishing a permanent beach, a lot more work would need to be done, including an environmental review process, the report says.
“We have to understand how we mitigate the risks and which is the best location,” Esslinger acknowledged.
Various provincial and federal departments, such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada, would need to approve the development or issue permits.
Water quality, safety, and accessibility are also concerns. Bacteria can form from various sources along the river, including overland runoff during rain events, wildlife, upstream dog parks and agricultural activities.
The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper group tests the water quality and found elevated levels of E.Coli in September at the Accidental Beach.
The group’s manager of water literacy, Hans Asfeldt, said tests in 2017 confirmed water quality fluctuated “above and below Health Canada guidelines for recreational water quality.”
“The risk of contracting a waterborne illness is unpredictable,” Asfeldt said in a written statement to CBC News.
The group plans to draw on last year’s findings to help spread awareness about water quality and pollution.
Plans for 2018
The city plans to put more garbage cans, portable toilets and bike racks around the Cloverdale neighbourhood this year should the accidental beach take shape again.
Garbage cans at 92nd Street and 98th Avenue started to overflow as more people became aware of the accidental beach in August, 2017. (Paul Bunner)
The city suggests a seasonal parking program that would outline where visitors should park — on avenues adjacent to green spaces, along the west side of Cloverdale Hill Road and in parking lots near the Edmonton Queen dock.
Resident–only parking will be designated in front of homes and parking bylaw officers will patrol the area more often.
The report doesn’t say how much the extra amenities are expected to cost.
It suggests an additional bus route from from ReMax Field to the beach between mid-August to mid-September would cost of $37,800.
Two hundred parking stalls would be available at ReMax Field for Route 585.
The service wouldn’t be available when there are events at the field.