Water quality advisory issued for Sturgeon River: AHS

An Alberta Health Services sign can be seen in this undated file photo. (File)

Alberta Health Services issued a water quality advisory for Sturgeon River in St. Albert on Friday due to elevated levels of fecal bacteria in the water.

The public are advised not to engage in any activities that involve exposure to the water or shoreline of Sturgeon River, for the specific area of the river northeast of the Ray Gibbon Drive bridge downstream.

The advisory came about due to a sampling that was performed to monitor an unintentional sewage release into the river, AHS said in a media release.

At the time of the sewage release, in February, the river was frozen over, so the risk to the public was low.

Visitors are advised not to eat fish from the river or consume water, even if it’s been treated.

Don’t swim in the river or let your pet swim in it.

Boaters are advised to avoid contact with river water as much as possible.

Anyone with concerns about their health should call Health Link at 811. Those with questions about the Sturgeon River incident in particular or the water in their area, can call Environmental Public Health at 1-833-476-4743 or go here.

The advisory will remain in effect until further notice.

‘Background’ amount

The City of St. Albert issued a media statement on the advisory as well, explaining that the testing process showed “high levels of bacteria from a variety of sources, including beaver, muskrat, canine, cattle, birds and humans.”

After Microbial Source Tracking tests were done at the University of Alberta, the city said it shared the results with AHS. It said the bacteria levels were deemed to be more of a “background” amount, which means lower than what is typically seen in raw sewage, but the combined total of bacterial cells within the water exceeded provincial recreational guidelines.

The city said it’s analyzing its storm and sanitary systems to confirm the small amount of human bacteria found isn’t from city operations.

They said that in February, a small sewage release took place in a downstream area within St. Albert due to a clogged sewer pipe, at which point the city notified Alberta Environment and AHS.