After consulting with Alberta Environment and Parks and Alberta Health Services, County officials are now re-opening the County Sportsplex pond to the public.

“We appreciate the public’s patience during our efforts to clean up the site,” said Christine Rawlins, parks and recreation manager. “Throughout the process, we have been working closely with Alberta Environment and Parks to ensure remediation of the pond meets provincial environmental standards, particularly for the wildlife in the area.”

The popular recreational facility and trails were closed on May 23 after an industrial oil waste product was illegally disposed into a nearby curbside drain that subsequently contaminated the pond. After the initial response to contain the oil waste and prevent further contamination, the County’s environmental consultants have been conducting extensive remediation work along the shoreline.

Clean-up efforts have been so successful that the County recently received approval to replenish the pond. On July 9, the Alberta Conservation Association restocked the pond with 2,325 Rainbow Trout. Although residents can start fishing in the pond again, there will be new rules.

“We previously operated on a ‘catch and keep’ basis, meaning people could keep the fish they caught out of the pond if they chose to,” said Rawlins. “Out of an abundance of caution, from July 17, 2019, forward, fishing will be ‘catch and release’ only and all signage in the area has been updated accordingly.”

Users of the pond will also notice a second floating dock along the north shore, which was installed by the County during the temporary closure. With the pond now re-opened to the public, the County has scheduled a new date for the ‘Kids can Catch’ event that had previously been postponed. The event will now take place on Sunday, August 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families can register online at www.countygp.ab.ca/recreationprograms for one-hour time slots at no charge.

Alberta Environment and Parks Compliance division, in conjunction with the County’s Enhanced RCMP unit, continue to investigate the illegal disposal, and thanks the public for its input to date. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the County’s Enhanced RCMP Unit at 780-532-9727.