Edmonton – Despite some fears, the the city of Edmonton says the area of Hawrelak Park Lake in which the ITU World Triathlon is scheduled to take place this weekend is safe for the swimming event.
In a statement released Wednesday, the City said testing had confirmed the area of the lake where the triathlon is scheduled to be held had been deemed safe for the international swimming event.
Park officials said blue-green algae is still in the lake water, but the concentration of cells had been reduced enough that it did not pose a health risk to athletes.
According to Global News, after the bloom advisory was issued, the city chlorinated the water — the same process used to rid the lake of the algae in 2015, just days before last year’s ITU World Triathlon.
Blue-green algae is naturally occurring, and often becomes visible when weather conditions are calm.
It appears like scum, grass clippings, fuzz or globs on the surface of the water.
People who come in contact with the algae, or ingest it, may experience skin irritation, rash, sore throat, sore red eyes, swollen lips, fever, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within one to three hours and resolve in one to two days.
The ITU World Triathlon event is scheduled for September 2 to 4.
