St. Albertans may notice the Sturgeon River getting less stinky. Even as soggy vegetation continues to emerge from the receding water, the sewer-like smell that plagued the area earlier this summer is receding. “It’s quite brown and it’s dead from being underwater for that long, so it doesn’t look very nice,” said Melissa Logan, senior natural asset specialist with the City of St. Albert. “Otherwise, those sediments that were kind of stinky and giving off that sulphur smell, they’re starting to dry out.” The putrid smell that plagued local residents after heavy rain in June was caused by waterlogged vegetation and soils releasing a sulfur-containing compound as they decompose. The odour will continue to improve in the area as water levels drop and exposed riverbanks dry out. Logan said the banks might not look great, but they have attracted some unusual visitors. “This year, I’m seeing in the floodplain areas a lot of shorebirds foraging for food,” she added. “That’s a little bit of a change that people might notice.” The soggy brown riverbank might look worse for wear, Logan said, but that the flooding is actually an important natural mechanism for some local flora. “Next year we might see very lush riparian areas along the river because that prolonged inundation promoted the growth of the plants that had been just hanging on throughout these drought conditions in the last few years,” she explained. Logan said the waterlogged soil was less beneficial for area trees, and city crews will be monitoring for root instability. Any trees that pose a risk to the public will be removed, she added.
