Due to contamination, the City of Edmonton is remediating the soil in Athlone Park.
Project Update - March 2026
With the recent rapid snowmelt, some soil has been exposed on and around the hill in Athlone Park, near the community league building. In accordance with the Interim Exposure Control Plan approved by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, the City has installed a fence and placed mulch in the areas with exposed soil.
Regular inspections of the park are being conducted to confirm the approved interim exposure control measures are in good condition. Corrective actions will be taken if required.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on the contamination.
About the Project
Prior to the 1950s, Athlone Park used to be a landfill and debris remains in the area. Landfill debris often contains contaminants. Since the landfill closed so long ago, it’s hard to say exactly where it was located. Archival records and air photos were used to estimate the boundaries.
The map has been updated to reflect new information obtained in January. The area has been reduced on the northwest, but increased on the northeast. Current information suggests that the northeastern area does not contain debris. However, further testing is needed to confirm.
As part of the City’s commitment to environmental management, soil testing is routinely conducted. During testing in Athlone Park, levels of contaminants exceeding human health guidelines were identified. Contamination includes lead, copper, arsenic and other metals.
The City of Edmonton understands this may be alarming, but wants to assure community members the risk of coming into contact with the soil is considered low for the following reasons:
- The debris and contamination are beneath the grass and other ground coverings. This means contact with contaminated soil through everyday use (for example playing sports, walking through the park or playing with pets) is unlikely.
- The contamination varies across the site - not every sample exceeds environmental guidelines. Soil structure is complex. It changes from one area to another, even within distances as close as a few centimetres apart, and different concentrations of contaminants can vary from one location to another. For example, if you compared two samples collected right beside each other, one could have no contaminants, while the other could have concentrations above guidelines.
The City is actively monitoring and controlling any soil exposure due to spring melting and will be remediating the site in 2026. Surface soil will be removed and a brightly coloured landscape fabric will be placed on top of the debris that remains. The brightly coloured fabric alerts anyone doing future construction that contaminated soil is below. A minimum of 30 cm of clean soil will be placed on top of the landscape fabric. This will prevent accidental exposure to the debris and associated contaminated soil.
Contact Us
Email csmp@edmonton.ca